Governments are more likely to break pollution regs than businesses per new research

[Axulus]

For the study, Konisky and Teodoro examined records from 2000 to 2011 for power plants and hospitals regulated under the Clean Air Act and from 2010 to 2013
for water utilities regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The study included over 3,000 power plants, over 1,000 hospitals and over 4,200 water utilities--some privately owned and others owned by public agencies.

* For power plants and hospitals, public facilities were on average 9 percent more likely to be out of compliance with Clean Air Act regulations and 20 percent more likely to have committed high-priority violations.

* For water utilities, public facilities had on average 14 percent more Safe Drinking Water Act health violations and were 29 percent more likely to commit monitoring
violations.

· Public power plants and hospitals that violated the Clean Air Act were 1 percent less likely than private- sector violators to receive a punitive sanction and 20
percent less likely to be fined.

· Public water utilities that violated Safe Drinking Water Act standards were 3 percent less likely than investor- owned utilities to receive formal enforcement actions.

http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2015/10/when-governments-regulate-governments.shtml

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Good. Governments are easier to hold to account then businesses, so that list should be circulated as widely as possible so that those involved are fired. That will do a lot to help pollution levels.

 

[Axulus]

Good. Governments are easier to hold to account then businesses, so that list should be circulated as widely as possible so that those involved are fired. That will do a lot to help pollution levels.

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

 

[laughing dog]

Good. Governments are easier to hold to account then businesses, so that list should be circulated as widely as possible so that those involved are fired. That will do a lot to help pollution levels.

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

The research shows that public entities are less likely to be held accountable with fines and prosecution than business. Which logically means both are held accountable.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

Is there an alert system service for such, "government bad" information. Or do people just scour the inter webs to find these?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Good. Governments are easier to hold to account then businesses, so that list should be circulated as widely as possible so that those involved are fired. That will do a lot to help pollution levels.

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

Fair point. What I meant was that governments should be easier to hold to account. They also can be, if people just decided to give enough of a shit. If people don't, then few will be held to account regardless of who they are.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Good. Governments are easier to hold to account then businesses, so that list should be circulated as widely as possible so that those involved are fired. That will do a lot to help pollution levels.

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

Exactly. Government doesn't get fined for non-compliance.

 

[fromderinside]

Good. Governments are easier to hold to account then businesses, so that list should be circulated as widely as possible so that those involved are fired. That will do a lot to help pollution levels.

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

I guess you need to re-read Tom Sawyer's statement. Its not about process it's about publicity.

 

[Horatio Parker]

Interesting timing. In the wake of the Volkswagen scandal, we learn, again, that govt is the problem.

We can look forward to a future when we are all free contractors instead of citizens. Then there will be zero violations.

 

[laughing dog]

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

Exactly. Government doesn't get fined for non-compliance.

That is not what the article substantiates or claims.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

For the study, Konisky and Teodoro examined records from 2000 to 2011 for power plants and hospitals regulated under the Clean Air Act and from 2010 to 2013
for water utilities regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The study included over 3,000 power plants, over 1,000 hospitals and over 4,200 water utilities--some privately owned and others owned by public agencies.

* For power plants and hospitals, public facilities were on average 9 percent more likely to be out of compliance with Clean Air Act regulations and 20 percent more likely to have committed high-priority violations.

* For water utilities, public facilities had on average 14 percent more Safe Drinking Water Act health violations and were 29 percent more likely to commit monitoring
violations.

· Public power plants and hospitals that violated the Clean Air Act were 1 percent less likely than private- sector violators to receive a punitive sanction and 20
percent less likely to be fined.

· Public water utilities that violated Safe Drinking Water Act standards were 3 percent less likely than investor- owned utilities to receive formal enforcement actions.

http://news.indiana.edu/releases/iu/2015/10/when-governments-regulate-governments.shtml

Color me confused. Why is the author comparing power plant's and clean air verses water utilities and water quality? While on its face, it may seem fair, seeing they deal with two different phases of matter, the standard of violations can be completely uncomparable. There are about two major issues with this, excluding the terribly asymmetric comparison.

• Actual amount of pollution as per violating Clean Air verses Clean Water
• Standard cost of violation to environment as per each type of violation

Why hang this on Water utilities and not investigate the larger polluter, wastewater utilities?

This "study" screams bullshit. Anyone have a link to it to confirm the bullshit status?

- - - Updated - - -

Actually, the research showed that government is harder to hold accountable, hence the fewer fines, punative actions and enforcement actions for similar violations.

Business is held accountable with fines and prosecution.

Exactly. Government doesn't get fined for non-compliance.

100% true from a Loren "I don't know what I'm talking about" Pechtel perspective. In the real world, we'd recognize that several cities and municipalities are in consent agreements with the EPA to reduce pollution in the waterways. That they have to pay fines for not reaches certain thresholds.