First the US is lending Brazil’s Petrobras $2billion for offshore drilling; now the EPA is paying to upgrade mufflers with catalytic converters in old Mexican trucks that won’t meet US safety standards anyway,
U.S. Pays To Upgrade Mexican Trucks
In the latest effort to accommodate its cherished trade partner in the south, the U.S. government is paying to upgrade outdated Mexican trucks that hemorrhage illegal amounts of exhaust on their trips north to deliver merchandise.
The Mexican trucks enter the U.S. under a 17-year-old international trade pact known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and they’ve created an air pollution crisis. The air quality in border towns has been especially impacted by the exorbitant levels of exhaust released by the Mexican trucks, which also fail to meet American safety standards.
Since the Mexican truckers have no intention of fixing the problem, Uncle Sam has stepped in to save the environment. U.S. taxpayers have picked up the cost to replace old mufflers on dozens of trucks and many more are scheduled to be upgraded by the middle of this year. The unbelievable story was reported this week by an Arizona newspaper that says replacing the old mufflers with new catalytic converters will reduce harmful diesel emissions by up to 30%.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is running the operation but the money is actually coming from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
And how much is that costing?
Each truck costs U.S. taxpayers about $1,600.
Probably more than the market value of some of the trucks.
a few years ago the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General determined that Mexican trucks that regularly travel throughout American highways are rarely checked for safety by U.S. authorities despite a provision requiring it. Rules requiring that every Mexican truck undergo a thorough safety compliance check and that every driver has a valid license and is proficient in English have been virtually ignored, according to the IG’s findings.
I swear to all that’s holy: someone in the Obama administration has a dastardly sense of humor. Just when you think they can’t do anything more completely, utterly insane, they bust out a brand new comedy sketch.
The fact that Obama’s EPA is punishing US industry with a slew of new business-killing regulations is one thing… The fact that Obama’s EPA is paying the Lung Association to defeat Republicans is somethnig else… But, this takes the cake.
Photo via IOwnTheWorld.
Via Memeorandum
