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Thread on regulation: For decades, regulation (“red tape”) has gotten a bad rap. Why? Let me explain. 1/
Consider the Clean Air Act. The EPA estimates that, since 1990, it has generated $2 trillion of benefits, while costing $85 billion. That seems like a pretty good deal. Who could possibly oppose that? 2/

epa.gov/clean-air-act-…
The answer is in the distribution of costs and benefits. The benefits are widely distributed throughout the economy, while the costs are concentrated on the polluters.

Polluters hate this — they bear the costs, but don’t capture enough of the benefits. 3/
So the companies complain about “burdensome” and “overreaching” regulations that cost them billions of dollars! This is a true statement, but it omits the fact that it generates trillions of dollars of benefits. 4/
Then they say how it’s hurting the economy, costing jobs, etc. This is a lie. The economy is actually better off WITH THIS REGULATION. But they nevertheless find pliable elected representatives to oppose the regulations. The is the epitome of corrupt, crony capitalism. 5/
You see, the corporation would rather make that extra $85B even if it eliminates trillions of dollars of benefits for the rest of the economy. This is a classic market failure. 6/
We've seen this before. Opioid manufacturers made a few billion extra $ pushing dangerous drugs, but cost the economy trillions of $. 7/

whitehouse.gov/articles/full-…
So next time you hear a corporation saying we should eliminate “red tape”, put your hand on your wallet because they’re trying to take your money away from you. 8/
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Andrew Dessler
@AndrewDessler
Reading Midnight in Chernobyl. Was not a huge fan of nuclear before ... suffice it to say that I’m even less of a fan now. Everyone who says “we need to build more nuclear” should be forced to read this.
Queue the nuclear bros to tell me that nuclear NOW is much safer.
This is still true:
Read 3 tweets
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Andrew Dessler
@AndrewDessler
Quick reminder that you're never off the record — everything you say can be quoted.

sciencemag.org/news/2019/11/u…
Probably not phrased well, but I stand by it.

In case you're wondering what I was referring to, the last sentence in the abstract is:

"Proposals to place harsh restrictions on methane emissions because of warming fears are not justified by facts."

co2coalition.org/wp-content/upl…
As everyone should know, "facts" should be inputs to policy, but values also play a key role. So the statement "not justified by facts" in this case is pure nonsense. You can agree with them on the facts but disagree on what the right policy should be.
Read 4 tweets
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Andrew Dessler
@AndrewDessler
There is a troubling rise of activists trying to discredit mainstream climate scientists because of some perceived lack of purity or commitment to the cause. Let me be clear: I don’t believe any reputable scientist would change their results to satisfy the funder.
If it were true that scientists could be bought simply by giving them funding, then I assure you corporations would be paying off scientists left and right to advance their message of uncertainty. That would be incredibly cheap for them.
The near unanimity in the scientific community about the main conclusions of climate science is strong evidence that climate scientists are not for sale.
Read 4 tweets

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John Walke
@JohnDWalke
1. Here’s a thread on some of the alarming views held by @EPA science advisors appointed by disgraced former EPA head, Scott Pruitt; these advisors are playing a big role in determining whether you & your family will breathe safe or unsafe levels of air pollution.

It's bad.
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Gwen Snyder is fucking cassandra rn so listen up
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Listen, Twitter.

Since the Philly refinery explosions rocked my apartment this morning, I have been fucking terrified.

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Kanthan Pillay
@KanthanPillay
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Tammy Duckworth
@SenDuckworth
New EPA data confirms what we have feared: Sterigenics continues to pose a threat to the health of its neighbors. While it cannot undo the damage that has already been done to families in the Willowbrook area, the EPA can act to prevent further harm to our children.
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John Walke
@jwalkenrdc
Concerning talk from the oil industry-tobacco industry consultant heading a crucial @EPA clean air advisory committee.

Here's why and what these ominous remarks could forecast:
The Clean Air Act requires EPA--and its official clean air advisory--to provide Americans with national clean air health standards for pollutants like ozone & particulate matter (PM) that are 'requisite to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety.'
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Armond Ray Erickson
@ArmonRaE
@Ocasio2018 We keep reading about how the extreme weather of 2017 is the "new normal" thanks to global warming — even if the weather in question is frigid air. But the data don't show any trend in extreme weather events in the U.S. for decades. Science, anyone?
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@Ocasio2018 A year ago, thousands of scientists issued a terrifying "second notice" to mankind about how we will destroy the planet unless we take "urgent" action.
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