Environmental protection pays

Despite the “environmentalism is communism and will destroy America” rhetoric sometimes heard from the right wing, even George Bush’s Environmental Protection Agency admits that sometimes environmental regulations actually turn a profit, according to the Environmental Defense newsletter Solutions.

Take diesel-engine pollution, which contributes to heart attacks, asthma, strokes and premature death. Despite industry opposition (to saving lives?), the American Lung Association and environmental groups hung tough for regulations on construction and farm equipment, expanding on earlier rules for highway vehicles.

EPA estimates that annual expenditures of $4 billion for pollution control will save $70 billion in health and environmental costs annually. That’s right – the benefits are estimated at 17.5 times the cost! In business terms, that’s a yearly profit of $66 billion or 1,650 percent! To anyone but an industry lobbyist, that’s a no-brainer.