California State Senator Tom McClintock gave an impressive speech to the Western Conservative Political Action Conference in Newport Beach a couple of weeks ago. It's one we should all read carefully as it shows the dangerous foolishness that results when politicians fall in for Al Gore's fables.I print an excerpt below but you'll do well to read the whole thing.
Last year, in the name of saving the planet from global warming, California adopted the most radically restrictive legislation anywhere in the nation, including AB 32, which requires a 25 percent reduction in man-made carbon dioxide emissions within 13 years.
To put this in perspective, we could junk every car in the state of California RIGHT NOW – and not meet this mandate.
Californians just approved $40 billion of bonds that California’s political leaders promised would be used for highways, dams, aqueducts and other capital improvements. They are desperately needed. But at the same time, those same political leaders have imposed a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Now here’s the problem. Building highways, dams and aqueducts requires tremendous amounts of concrete, the principle ingredient of which is cement.
How is cement produced? It is produced by taking limestone and super-heating it into a molten state – it comes out the other side as a compound called clinker. Clinker is about 2/3 the weight of the original limestone. The missing 1/3 of that weight is carbon dioxide. And when you include the emissions required to superheat the limestone, it turns out that for every ton of cement, a TON of carbon dioxide is released. It’s the third biggest source of carbon dioxide in all human enterprise.
But now we have a law that specifically forbids us from doing so. . .
Thanks to Dr. E. Calvin Beisner, the National Spokesman for Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation for pointing out to me this fine speech.
