The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended its enforcement of environmental laws during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, signaling to companies they will not face any sanction for polluting the air or water of Americans.
In an extraordinary move that has stunned former EPA officials, the Trump administration said it will not expect compliance with the routine monitoring and reporting of pollution and won’t pursue penalties for breaking these rules.
Polluters will be able to ignore environmental laws as long as they can claim in some way these violations were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the event of an imminent threat to public health, the EPA will defer to the states and “consider the circumstances” over whether it should intervene.
There is no end date set for this dropping of enforcement.
Andrew Wheeler, (former coal lobbyist, now:) administrator of the EPA, said that coronavirus had made it difficult for businesses to protect workers and the public while adhering to clean air and water rules.
It has been well-publicized that Covid-19 discriminates by age and by underlying health conditions.
But it has become increasingly apparent that it also discriminates by sex, with men more likely to test positive and more likely to die from the disease.
The trend was first seen in China, where one analysis found a fatality rate of 2.8% in men compared with 1.7% in women.
Since then, the pattern has been mirrored in France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Spain.
In Italy, men have accounted for 71% of deaths and, in Spain, data released on Thursday suggests twice as many men as women have died.
So why are men more vulnerable?
“The honest answer is none of us know what’s causing the difference,” said Prof Sarah Hawkes, director of the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health.
On Thursday (3-26), the United States crossed an unfortunate milestone in the global fight against the novel coronavirus: leading the world in confirmed cases.
By Thursday afternoon around 3 p.m. PT, the U.S. reports 82,404 confirmed cases of the coronavirus to China’s 81,782 according to a popular COVID-19 tracking tool from Johns Hopkins. Italy, regarded as the world’s emerging hotspot in recent weeks, dropped to third with 80,589 cases.
There needs to be more testing, as indicated by the Icelandic finding that 40% of their positives were asymptomatic, and there needs to be a ramp-up in post-infection testing to determine the range of immune responses that can be seen. Also, the first trials of a vaccine that shows promise in animal models is set for the Seattle area. The volunteers will be divided into dosage level groups and injected with the test vaccine in two injections two weeks apart. Then they will be monitored over time for the production of antibodies over the course of weeks and months. That’s just the first phase, so I do hope people will understand why a vaccine just can’t be provided within weeks.
I seem to remember Carmen asking “Climate change-fraud or fakery?” in an older strip. She should apologize, because that’s what a real friend would do.
Darsan54 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Maybe less change and more at rest and remain?
Cheapskate0 over 4 years ago
Is Scott suggesting that Winslow is the climate change denier?
Sanspareil over 4 years ago
Just like the corona virus, climate change is a Liberal Hoax! So sayeth the Orange Dear Leader!Is there any reason why he should not be believed??
braindead Premium Member over 4 years ago
OMG! What’s next for Stantis?
Is he going to admit that Russia (Putin) attacks our elections?
That Republicans* suppress votes? And voters?
.
*Now the Party Of Trump
Silly Season over 4 years ago
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has suspended its enforcement of environmental laws during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, signaling to companies they will not face any sanction for polluting the air or water of Americans.
In an extraordinary move that has stunned former EPA officials, the Trump administration said it will not expect compliance with the routine monitoring and reporting of pollution and won’t pursue penalties for breaking these rules.
Polluters will be able to ignore environmental laws as long as they can claim in some way these violations were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the event of an imminent threat to public health, the EPA will defer to the states and “consider the circumstances” over whether it should intervene.
There is no end date set for this dropping of enforcement.
Andrew Wheeler, (former coal lobbyist, now:) administrator of the EPA, said that coronavirus had made it difficult for businesses to protect workers and the public while adhering to clean air and water rules.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/27/trump-pollution-laws-epa-allows-companies-pollute-without-penalty-during-coronavirus
William Robbins Premium Member over 4 years ago
Um, great that he’s on board here, but Covid’s going to with us for a while. Just a little surprised he dropped it so quick.
Silly Season over 4 years ago
Not quite the biblical plagues…
~
It has been well-publicized that Covid-19 discriminates by age and by underlying health conditions.But it has become increasingly apparent that it also discriminates by sex, with men more likely to test positive and more likely to die from the disease.
The trend was first seen in China, where one analysis found a fatality rate of 2.8% in men compared with 1.7% in women.
Since then, the pattern has been mirrored in France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Spain.
In Italy, men have accounted for 71% of deaths and, in Spain, data released on Thursday suggests twice as many men as women have died.
So why are men more vulnerable?
“The honest answer is none of us know what’s causing the difference,” said Prof Sarah Hawkes, director of the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/men-are-much-more-likely-to-die-from-coronavirus-but-why
Silly Season over 4 years ago
Yep… I’m “tired of all the winning…”
~
On Thursday (3-26), the United States crossed an unfortunate milestone in the global fight against the novel coronavirus: leading the world in confirmed cases.
By Thursday afternoon around 3 p.m. PT, the U.S. reports 82,404 confirmed cases of the coronavirus to China’s 81,782 according to a popular COVID-19 tracking tool from Johns Hopkins. Italy, regarded as the world’s emerging hotspot in recent weeks, dropped to third with 80,589 cases.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/26/does-the-us-have-the-most-coronavirus-cases-covid-19/
martens over 4 years ago
There needs to be more testing, as indicated by the Icelandic finding that 40% of their positives were asymptomatic, and there needs to be a ramp-up in post-infection testing to determine the range of immune responses that can be seen. Also, the first trials of a vaccine that shows promise in animal models is set for the Seattle area. The volunteers will be divided into dosage level groups and injected with the test vaccine in two injections two weeks apart. Then they will be monitored over time for the production of antibodies over the course of weeks and months. That’s just the first phase, so I do hope people will understand why a vaccine just can’t be provided within weeks.
Cheapskate0 over 4 years ago
martens brings up a good point: 40% of tested positives are asymptomatic. And yet, I’m pretty sure, even Iceland still has untested positives.
What we really need to know is, if and when asymptomatic positives are contagious. Also, do asymptomatic positives become immune?
Because, if they don’t, don’t they become Typhoid Mary s?
theotherther1 over 4 years ago
I seem to remember Carmen asking “Climate change-fraud or fakery?” in an older strip. She should apologize, because that’s what a real friend would do.
Jim Kerner over 4 years ago
True Dat!