October 5, 2008 3:46 AM

I lived here for 3722 days? What in the world was I thinking???

HOUSTON -- Houston has joined Los Angeles to become the second place in the nation classified as having a severe smog problem, the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. The EPA reclassified the smog problem in the eight-county Houston area from moderate so that the region has an extra nine years to meet federal health standards set in 1997. The state was supposed to meet the requirements in 2010 but now has until 2019. The EPA no longer considers the 1997 standard safe for public health, but agency spokeswoman Catherine Milbourn said progress toward it will protect the public and bring regions closer to meeting stricter requirements. Texas Gov. Rick Perry had asked the agency for the extension last year in a move praised by the business association Greater Houston Partnership.

Every morning, as I'm driving off to that day's destination, I look off to the horizon. What I see is a thick brown haze that hangs along ground level...and that's when I realize that I'm looking at what I'm breathing. Yes, the air quality here sucks...and I inhaled that for ten-plus years.

One of the phrases you hear in Houston a lot this time of year is "ozone warning". That means the ozone levels are so high that they're considered unhealthy, especially the young, the elderly, or those with respiratory issues. That's right, y'all; as if driving here wasn't bad enough (it is), the simple and necessary act of breathing can also be hazardous to your health. In fact, things have gotten so bad that the state now has an extra NINE YEARS to meet EPA standards. That's another nine years of subjecting people in the eight-county metropolitan area to the continued health risks associated with breathing the air here. You'd think the business community would be taking it upon themselves to do whatever they can to improve the quality of the air that they themselves have to breathe, along with everyone else in the metropolitan area. Instead, they're all excited that they have another nine years...and by that time, they'll no doubt be looking for another extension. Is it just me, or is this laissez-faire attitude just irresponsible. When money trumps the health of the millions of people who live here, something is very, very wrong. Then again, businesses owners are the same ones buying Republicans in the Governor's Mansion and the legislature...so who, really, are the irresponsible ones?

(New slogan: TEXAS REPUBLICANS. THE BEST GOVERNMENT MONEY CAN BUY.)

Even if you don't smoke, if you spend any time here, you're experiencing roughly the equivalent by merely breathing. Yet another reason I hate this (&^%$#@ place....

blog comments powered by Disqus

Technorati

Technorati search

» Blogs that link here

About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on October 5, 2008 3:46 AM.

Today's signs that the Apocalypse is upon us was the previous entry in this blog.

You knew better than that...right?? is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Contact Me

Powered by Movable Type 5.12