New Congressional Spending Bill Packed with Pollution

We all know that it is difficult to get anything done in Washington these days, so it should be no surprise to learn that the latest spending bill is packed with disappointing compromises. Raising the limits on individual campaign contributions and relaxing regulations on the sale of credit default swaps and their ilk, is not likely to make life better for most Americans, though they will likely make for some champagne toasts among the Wall Street class, while the democratic process is further eroded.

More damaging, however, are those provisions that encourage the continued emission of greenhouse gases.  There are two that are particularly egregious; they might be called Christmas presents for polluters. It would seem that all of us got some coal in our stockings.

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RP Siegel, author and inventor, shines a powerful light on numerous environmental and technological topics. He has been published in business and technical journals and has written three books. His third, co-authored with Roger Saillant, is Vapor Trails, an eco-thriller that is being adapted for the big screen. RP is a professional engineer – and a prolific inventor, with 50 patents, numerous awards, and several commercial products. He is president of Rain Mountain LLC and is an active environmental advocate in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. In addition to Justmeans, he writes for Triple Pundit, ThomasNet News, and Energy Viewpoints, occasionally contributing to Mechanical Engineering, Strategy + Business, and Huffington Post. You can follow RP on Twitter, @RPSiegel.