From Planet Gore, this has to be the poop de grace of bureaucratic achievement in the climate and ecology category.
Not a Square to Spare [Chris Horner]
Where are the Beatles when you need them? Someone inside EPA has brought to my attention how Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer has proposed legislation calling on a federal agency to define toilet paper.
Really. It says it right in the bill, the “Water Resources Protection Act” (I know, I know — you were expecting it to be called the Protecting Infrastructure and Sewer Systems Act):
‘‘SEC. 4172. DEFINITIONS AND SPECIAL RULE.
‘(b) WATER DISPOSAL PRODUCT. — For purposes of this subchapter —
(4) TOILET TISSUE. — The term ‘toilet tissue’ means toilet tissue, as determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary.”
No, it’s not as silly as it sounds. It’s sillier.
The rulemaking to define what rises to the level of a bottom-wipe is in the name of a good cause: to tax the stuff. The current band of feds don’t think you’ve paid enough tax — this has been established ad nauseum — and now want a dedicated revenue, er, stream, to pay to replace corroded pipes and overburdened sewer sytems nationwide.
We know what else is involved in the confines of the rest room so, naturally, there’s a “climate change mitigation” section as well though, upon initial scrutiny, it isn’t as invasive as the context indicates should be the case.
It actually gets even more inane: in addition to adding a “3% excise tax on items disposed of in wastewater, such as toothpaste, cosmetics, toilet paper and cooking oil [because these] products wind up in the water stream and require clean up by sewage treatment plants,” according to Blumenauer’s Fact Sheet, water-based beverages, which actually hit the infrastructure both coming and, ah, going (as anyone who’s ever stood in line at a sporting event knows). So, those are hit with a four-cent per-container excise tax. Feeling flush yet?
This is a nice addendum to the dossier that, I believe, we will look back on as having been rolled up by a congressional majority (and indeed, entire political class) that soon found itself circling the drain.
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Crosspatch
“When a forest reaches full maturity, it is no longer adding net biomass. It reaches stability. As much biomass is dying and decaying as is being added through growth”
I grew up near the Fortingall Yew, and wondered if what you say is actually factual.
This tree must have increased in mass up until human intervention in the 18th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortingall_Yew
@Son of Mulder (01:32:26) :
Cut newspaper into suitably sized squares, punch hole in corner of squares, put string through hole, tie ends of string, hang from nail on wall. Better than back in my youth because the newsprint doesn’t come off these days. The tax on newspapers will now rocket.
That’ll produce a more satisfying wipe if one of the faces of these idiots is on the page you are using.
TerryS (05:41:29) :
I’ve spent the last half hour trying to think of a beverage that isn’t water based. Does anybody have any examples of one?
My old reliable laboratory cocktail:
1. Punctilious ethanol (HPLC grade 99.9% pure)
Add the following, if needed :
2. Ascorbic Acid
3. Fructose (dissolves better)
Well, I guess it’s back to using your “Left Hand” for wiping…That is why it’s the Custom to shake with your Right Hand and not your Left! 🙂 Wipe with you left and save a few million trees…LOL! Wow, as if trees don’t grow back!
Use a sponge, and then clean it by pouring water over it.
Problem solved.
And it is more convenient for hairy people.
Oncor here in Tejas is proposing a rate hike for residential customers of 17% … WUWT with regard to ‘not selling enough’ … (currently non-contract rates here are about US 13.5 c/kWH)
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Has anyone besides me bothered to contact their congresscritter about this? I’m getting more than a little sick and tired of the unending stream of creative legislation specifically designed to tax me into the poorhouse, and thus make me TOTALLY dependent on the Federal Government for everything.
Great Bill; A lot like fire*rms: outlaw dumping and only outlaws will be dumping (and you won’t have ANY idea of what is being put where and CLEAN-UP will be an absolute NIGHTMARE …)
Better to have SOME plan for dumps versus the alternative of ‘opportunistic dumping’ in the dead of night by companies and individuals alike desparate to get rid of stuff.
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U.S. Capitol – the most prolific reverse waste treatment facility on the planet.
I guess this will motivate angry [snip, enough with the poopie jokes ~ ctm]
We should take bets on the date a law goes into effect requiring sensors on America’s toilet bowls to measure, record and automatically report the mass of objects (both liquid and solid) placed in it.
After reading this…..I need some toilet paper right now!
No politician can sleep at night, worrying that he has left one dime untaxed.
“This tree must have increased in mass up until human intervention in the 18th century.”
I was speaking of the entire forest, not a single tree. As the canopy closes in when a forest matures, very little light reaches the forest floor and shaded branches are not replaced when damaged or simply die from lack of light.
It wasn’t so much about a specific tree as it is about the entire forest as a system. Leaf litter, fallen branches, eventually a tree dies, falls over, and all of the carbon is released back into the atmosphere. When the forest reaches full maturity and trees begin to die from old age, the forest has reached equilibrium. Actually if the forest is large enough it is creating the CO2 from decay that it is using for growth. It creates its own optimum atmosphere. A forest is only a net CO2 sponge until it reaches maturity and then it becomes a sort of carbon bank. But all of the carbon stored in the wood is destined to be released back into the atmosphere when it dies and begins to decay.
crosspatch (22:03:19) :
That’s correct, saving paper simply puts tree farmers in places like Arkansas and Mississippi out of business.
RE: crosspatch (22:22:24) :
What I’d like to see are expanded drilling operations on land, right here in the Bay Area. There are existing producing small fields in southern San Mateo County (a little known fact). It’s pretty heavy crude though.
My tree hugging accountant friends say do not tear the paper. Re roll it and use the other side.
They discovered that by re rolling adding machine tapes.
good news. Two days till thursday and then we can flush the weekly solids.
Many are suggesting to not flush every time.
Power Grab et al,
Here in California, if you produce excess power, or produce power
off grid, you can be charged for the power you would have used.
If I was to discover some magic method of making electricity, and added
a gigawatt of free power to the distribution grid, my bill from the
power company would be 0.284 dollars per kwh * 1,000,000,000 watts
or $284,000 per hour. Perhaps I could negotiate some lower
rate, but that would be the starting point of discussion per current
law.
Yes, this point has been litigated. Heck, it was even written up in
Forbes magazine a few years ago.
Anyone ever heard about using corn cobs?
With the increase in ethanol production there should be
plenty of them avaiable.
The proper way is to use one or two red corn cobs and then a white one.
You use the white to see if you need to use another red one!
@ur momisugly SteveSadlov (13:33:34) :
crosspatch (22:03:19) :
That’s correct, saving paper simply puts tree farmers in places like Arkansas and Mississippi out of business.”
You got that right. I’m one of ’em! Here’s a little info on how this CO2 nonsense is impacting agri generally: http://www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/common/link.do?symbolicName=/ag/blogs/template1&blogHandle=policy&blogEntryId=8a82c0bc2217993701229af9cdfa067d
“The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) charts agriculture input costs as a whole to increase by $5 billion annually through 2020. For farmers already struggling with production costs, these increases would be unacceptable. The Fertilizer Institute, after analyzing previous cap-and-trade proposals, determined that the cost of corn production could increase by as much as $79 per acre annually. Another organization, the Heritage Foundation, charts diesel fuel to increase by a whopping 90 percent by 2035. And this burden won’t be limited to ag producers. Rural states like Nebraska would be hammered much harder than either the east or west coasts. This is largely due to our dependence on coal, the cost of which is expected to double in the next ten years, with electricity costs increasing by as much as one-third by 2040, according to AFBF.”
henrychance (13:45:05) :
“Two days till thursday and then we can flush the weekly solids.
Many are suggesting to not flush every time.”
henrychance,,,,,,
The rule is, If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down!
No on the corn cobs. They are using celulosic waste for ethanol now also.
Water is an appropriate topic because it is becoming micromanaged and taxed. We had 3 inches yesterday and these cool years have not been dry. Colorado, parts of texas, the coasts, may places are going on rationing and some population movement should follow.
The hate from warming extremists comes out in the waater legislation.
The cap and tax bill included timing restrictions as a part of construction standards for showers. They know how dirty you are and how lont it takes to get clean.
An excise tax and what economists call an inelastic good is going to do only one thing – raise government revenue. This has nada, zero zip and zilch to do with a “cleaner” environment.
I might – might – be able to understand this legislation if the money was given to the municipalities who manage waste to improve their handling of said waste – but that is still a local issue to decide – and not the federal govt’s.
Pathetic
I refuse to dignify this disgusting, disgraceful thread by participating.
Should this depraved communistic concept become law in the USA, we in Canada will boldly go forth to start a whole new border industry – the smuggling of toilet paper into America.
This should dwarf our other smuggling trade, since not every American consumes illegal drugs, booze and cigarettes.
I have no fear of this insanity coming to Canada. Should our daft politicians propose the banning or taxation of toilet paper, millions of sensible Canadians will tell them where to shove it.
‘Value-Added Tax, ‘ currently 15%, is added to just about everything in the UK, with a few exceptions, food and clothing and books being the main ones, and, to your delight if you’re off mains drainage and need to call out the sucklift wagon, sewerage. But don’t, or rather do, hold your breath. Things may change.