Reply To: T-shirt designers unite and take over

[Rematog]

Brian,

I would guess you’ve had little direct dealings with government regulators.

I’ve seen state environmental regulator departments require all roads on a plant site paved, to prevent dust (we were already watering roads twice a day to prevent dusting. This on a manufacturing plant surrounded by corn fields (which when plowed, harvested, etc., can create a lot of dust.). The reason for the requirement was that the computer model the regulator agency used to model pollution impacts from smokestacks automatically failed the stack, even with ZERO emissions, if there was an unpaved road inside the site “bubble”.

I’ve had an inspector require a plant to tear out a brand new underground pipeline and replace the brand new safety valves on an anhydrous ammonia tank because the wind blew his inspection paper work away while he was walking back to his car. It took petitions to the agency heads to get the inspector to accept replacement paper work.

My point is, regulators do NOT have to be logical, by outside (of their agency) standards. They only have to enforce the regulations, as the agency and the courts have interpreted them.

And remember, that if the utility is being “unfairly” hurt by the changes, they will go to the courts for re-dress. If the regulatory agency for political reasons is “taking” utility assets, they will have a strong case.