{"id":29501,"date":"2013-03-02T22:33:26","date_gmt":"2013-03-02T21:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/feedproxy.google.com\/~r\/Truthdig\/~3\/aEk-KeBKYAE\/"},"modified":"2013-03-02T22:33:26","modified_gmt":"2013-03-02T21:33:26","slug":"the-environment-unprotected-from-sequester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/the-environment-unprotected-from-sequester\/","title":{"rendered":"The Environment Unprotected From Sequester"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Environment Unprotected From Sequester<\/h2>\n
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Posted on Mar\u00a02,\u00a02013<\/h6>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
josef.stuefer<\/a> (CC BY 2.0)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Thanks to the dreaded sequester cuts, the nation\u2019s habitat will take a sizable hit as the development of clean energy is set back and 8,400 meat inspectors are furloughed. The oil industry, however, emerges as a victor as it gets to keep its billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies while the EPA sees its funding for monitoring and cleanup reduced, Mother Jones reports.<\/p>\n

\u2013Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Mother Jones:<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Food safety:<\/strong> The Food Safety and Inspection Service\u2019s budget would be slashed by $51 million. This would result in a furlough of as much as 15 days for all employees, including 8,400 meat inspectors, as well as a loss of 2 billion pounds of meat, between 2.8 and 3.3 billion pounds of poultry, and over 200 million pounds of egg products. Meat shortages may also lead to price increases, leading to a domino effect on restaurants, grocers, and small businesses. There are also concerns that food safety \u201ccould be compromised by the illegal selling and distribution of uninspected meat, poultry, and egg products.\u201d This wouldn\u2019t be the first time there were public health concerns over shady meat industry.<\/p>\n

4. Fracking regulation:<\/strong>\u00a0There will likely be less oversight, says the Sierra Club\u2019s Pierce. Specifically, there will be a reduction of baseline water quality monitoring networks, less money to\u00a0study the effect of unconventional oil and gas extraction in the Appalachians, and not enough resources to determine how shale gas development impacts species such as brook trout and freshwater mussels.<\/p>\n

Federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the DOI are currently developing rules and safeguards on fracking technology to ensure that drinking water is protected. \u201cAll of those efforts will be handicapped because the agency does not have the budget and personnel to carry out the critical work,\u201d said Pierce.<\/p>\n

\u2026 5. Natural-disaster response:<\/strong>\u00a0The cuts won\u2019t increase the disasters themselves, but will definitely decrease our ability to fight and recover from them. Drought and climate change mean wildfires are on the rise, and the USDA warns that the agency \u201cwould complete as many as 200,000 fewer acres of hazardous fuel treatments, resulting in an increased risk to communities from wildfires.\u201d The EPA cautions that there would be less research on how to prepare for disasters, leading to longer recovery times and higher costs.<\/p>\n

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\n

The Environment Unprotected From Sequester<\/h2>\n
\"Email Email<\/span>    \"Print Print<\/a>    \"Share Share<\/span><\/div>\n
Posted on Mar 2, 2013<\/h6>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
josef.stuefer<\/a> (CC BY 2.0)<\/a><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Thanks to the dreaded sequester cuts, the nation’s habitat will take a sizable hit as the development of clean energy is set back and 8,400 meat inspectors are furloughed. The oil industry, however, emerges as a victor as it gets to keep its billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies while the EPA sees its funding for monitoring and cleanup reduced, Mother Jones reports.<\/p>\n

—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Mother Jones:<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Food safety:<\/strong> The Food Safety and Inspection Service’s budget would be slashed by $51 million. This would result in a furlough of as much as 15 days for all employees, including 8,400 meat inspectors, as well as a loss of 2 billion pounds of meat, between 2.8 and 3.3 billion pounds of poultry, and over 200 million pounds of egg products. Meat shortages may also lead to price increases, leading to a domino effect on restaurants, grocers, and small businesses. There are also concerns that food safety “could be compromised by the illegal selling and distribution of uninspected meat, poultry, and egg products.” This wouldn’t be the first time there were public health concerns over shady meat industry.<\/p>\n

4. Fracking regulation:<\/strong> There will likely be less oversight, says the Sierra Club’s Pierce. Specifically, there will be a reduction of baseline water quality monitoring networks, less money to study the effect of unconventional oil and gas extraction in the Appalachians, and not enough resources to determine how shale gas development impacts species such as brook trout and freshwater mussels.<\/p>\n

Federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the DOI are currently developing rules and safeguards on fracking technology to ensure that drinking water is protected. “All of those efforts will be handicapped because the agency does not have the budget and personnel to carry out the critical work,” said Pierce.<\/p>\n

… 5. Natural-disaster response:<\/strong> The cuts won’t increase the disasters themselves, but will definitely decrease our ability to fight and recover from them. Drought and climate change mean wildfires are on the rise, and the USDA warns that the agency “would complete as many as 200,000 fewer acres of hazardous fuel treatments, resulting in an increased risk to communities from wildfires.” The EPA cautions that there would be less research on how to prepare for disasters, leading to longer recovery times and higher costs.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"\"More Below the Ad<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

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Get truth delivered to
your inbox every week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Previous item: Detroit’s Fiscal Emergency<\/a><\/p>\n

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