Ozone
Diversion Pipes |
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| Pipes
are anchored thousands of feet into the ground. |
Into
the Stratosphere |
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| Ground
ozone is released high in
the stratosphere to replenish the "good" ozone layer. |
“We
looked at this problem and suddenly a light bulb turned
on: Value-Added Product!”
|
Turning
"Bad" Ozone into "Good" Ozone
Ground ozone will be piped into the stratosphere
to help rebuild the hole in the ozone layer
In
a classic example of American entrepreneurism, the natural
gas industry has found a way to turn an environmental
problem into a benefit to the world.
The
Upper Green River Valley, the site of the second largest
natural gas field in the United States, has seen an explosion
of development over the last ten years on federal land south
of Pinedale, Wyoming.
One
of the unexpected biproducts of all the drill rigs, vehicles
and industrial equipment has been the creation of ground
ozone air pollution. The Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) issued five Ozone Health Advisories in less
than a month between February and March 2008 due to high
ground ozone levels, resulting in a public outcry demanding
government and industry "do something" to solve
the problem.
"We
looked at this dilemma and suddenly a light bulb turned
on: Value
Added Product!" said gas industry spokesman
Brad Belmont.
Just
like the helium biproducts from the operations in LaBarge,
we can take a waste product and create a whole new market
for ozone. We'll take all this ‘bad
ozone’ and
turn it into ‘good ozone' by putting it where it is
needed, up in the stratosphere," Belmont said. |
"By
relocating the ozone from the ground to the atmosphere, it
will mend the hole in the ozone layer up there and help solve
the problem of Global Warming," Belmont added. "Instead
of government beaurocracy stepping in to further regulate
industry, good old American ingenuity and capitalism have
found a way to turn things around 180 degrees and even make
a profit from it."
The
companies already have permits to drill in each of the well
site locations and long pipes that extend far into the ground
to tap into the natural gas reserves deep beneath the earth.
No new federal permits or environmental impact evaluations
would be required to extend those pipes vertically upward. "Not
a problem at all for us," said one gas-field worker. "One
thing we know how to do is build long pipes!"
Industry
plans to save billions by getting tax rebates from the international
community for their "green" environmental efforts
wherever their products are sold. U.S. government officials
are working out the details of eco-tax breaks and creating
new flow measuring devices to place in the pipes to ensure
American coffers get their fair share of the new ozone
tax revenue. |
 Wolf
Introduction Program gains more states
Wolves being reintroduced to historic range across
the U.S.
Despite
an extremely successful resurgence of wolf populations to numbers
far exceeding thresholds determined as "enough" for
sustainable wolf populations, some groups still feel far more
wolves are needed. Biologists have determined the 1,500 wolves
in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming are sufficient to take the gray
wolf off the federal list of endangered species. But
some vocal wolf supporters are strongly advocating that number
be raised to 2,000 or as high as 5,000 wolves.
"At
first, listening to all the complaining despite reaching all
the population attainment goals, we looked at these whiners
as people 'snatching defeat from the jaws of victory'," said
a Wyoming wildlife biologist. "Then we realized we need
to be more open-minded and think outside the box. If these
people really want more wolves, we're happy to share ours with
them."
In
a bold “Put
Up or Shut-Up” move,
the Wyoming, Montana and Idaho state legislatures, and U.S.
Fish & Wildlife
Service, have authorized a new Interstate Wolf Relocation
Program to reintroduce wolves across the nation. "Our states
are already maxed out with numbers, so now we can move to
fill up these other states that haven't yet reached their
wolf quotas to repopulate the historic range. Our extra wolves
will be humanely trapped and relocated to new territory in
these other states across the U.S. where we are optimistic
they will fit into those new ecosystems in harmony."
The
wolf shipments will be delivered to the doorstep of the office
of the journalist or environmentalist that wrote the most outspoken
article demanding more wolves are needed in the United States,
thus ensuring the parties most passionate about wolf proliferation
and range expansion become actively involved as part of the
solution to make it happen. As a requirement, at least three
breeding pairs and packs must reside in the county of the local
vocal wolf advocate. "No one will be able to use the 'Not in
my backyard' argument any more. Wolves will easily adapt to
the suburban residential environment. They will serve to bring
back the predator/prey balance to the out-of-control deer overpopulation
problem faced by many urban communities, downtown parks and
state forests."
“Sure,
we’ll take them!” list to date (150 wolves to each
sponsoring organization):
California - getting 300 (courtesy
Sierra Club and Earthjustice)
Washington
Oregon - getting 150 (courtesy Oregon Wild)
Nevada
Arizona - getting 300 (courtesy
Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds Project)
North Dakota
South Dakota
Texas
Colorado
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Iowa - getting 150 (gift from the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance)
Missouri
Wisconsin – getting 150 (courtesy
Washington Post)
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
New York - getting 150 (courtesy Natural Resources Defense Council)
Vermont
Maine
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island - getting 150 (gift from the Friends of the Clearwater)
West Virginia
Washington
DC – getting 600 (Courtesy Sierra
Club, Washington Post, Defenders of Wildlife, and Humane Society
of the US. Way to go Washington DC!!)
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