I first see a headline to a story in the Gazette.
Panel OKs treating 2 coal types alike
This seems to indicate that,
a.) there are two different types of coal,
and
b.) they will be treated the same.
I scratch my head and start to read the
story and get a big surprise.
Montana's new rule to limit emission of mercury from coal-fired power plants will have different standards for two kinds of coal, one of which contains more mercury than the other, a state board said Wednesday.
The Montana Board of Environmental Review voted 4-3 against establishing the same standards for plants that burn lignite coal and for those burning sub-bituminous coal.
Lignite has about double the mercury of sub-bituminous coal, often described as the cleaner and more efficient fuel. The standards endorsed by the board allow greater releases of mercury from lignite.
The very first sentence says there are two types of coal but they will have "different standards" for mercury.
SO, THE HEADLINE IS WRONG!!!
Unless somebody smarter than me out there can explain where I am wrong in my assumptions, the headline is all screwed up. It has to be a conspiracy to make the Schweitzer Administration look good while destroying the environment of Montana.
Seriously though, I don't understand how they can screw a headline up like that. It doesn't make sense. As for my opinion on the decision, I think it's wrong. I agree with the headline, the mercury rule should be the same for both types of coal. That's not what happened. While it might be harder to remove from the one type, it can be done if they want to. Politics are just trumping the environment yet again.
If ye despise the human race, and mortal arms, yet remember that there is a God who is mindful of right and wrong. Virgil
UPDATE: I see they changed the headline. Must be to make me look like a fool. I swear what I reported was true this morning when I read the story. The headline now is;
Panel sets 2 standards for coal emissions
It makes a lot more sense to the story, doesn't it.