Despite never actually providing a plan to create jobs, several of the leading Republican candidates for President point to federal regulations as a reason we aren’t growing jobs in the United States. We are in fact just a few tax breaks and deregulation away from renewed prosperity. And of course competition and the free market will take care of the rest…
Well, we know of a robust economy with very few environmental regulations…China!
But if we follow their lead, yesterday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel headline might have a ‘Milwaukee’ or ‘Glendale’ dateline next time: “Johnson Controls plant in China under investigation”.
Johnson Controls says it believes its lead-acid battery plant in Shanghai is not the source of lead poisoning among children in a village near the sprawling Chinese city.
The Glendale-based company issued a statement Friday after The Associated Press reported that a Shanghai environmental agency had ordered two factories, including the Johnson Controls plant, to halt production pending an investigation into the source of the lead poisoning.
The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau reported on its website Friday that it was studying lead emissions from the two factories. At the same time, the Pudong district government, where the cases were found, issued a statement saying it believed the Johnson Controls factory was the main source of lead emissions in the area, the AP reported.
In a statement sent to the Journal Sentinel, Johnson Controls said the Pudong government had requested that it suspend lead-related production in the Shanghai plant because the plant had reached its lead quota for the year.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, we have complied with this request,” the statement says.
The company said it was aware that local citizens had questions about possible potential exposure to lead. With that in mind, Johnson Controls said it would cooperate with the government in any investigation.
“However, we have no reason to believe we are the source of the issue,” the company said.
The AP reported that the source of the lead contamination has not been confirmed.
There are some very real reasons that the EPA was created and there are some very real reasons that they impose environmental regulations on American businesses. The Republicans continually voice concerns about leaving the debts of the deficit and bankcrupting our children and grandchildren…but they show no concern about leaving them clean air, clean water, or a clean environment to enjoy.
Not to mention regulations create a level playing field, so that companies aren’t put at a competitive disadvantage for not polluting, externalizing their costs, etc. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Actually, the EPA is why many of us are alive…and they want us dead.
I am convinced the Republican power brokers do believe in climate change and that is why they need to “weed” us folk out of the picture. They know there will not be enough resources for everyone and the battle for their lion’s share will be easier if there are fewer of us.