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Senator Gene Yaw is a lawyer turned politician who imagines himself to be a scientist. His last few pieces of legislation have been misguided attempts at fixing scientific or technological problems. As is the case with most legislation, these bills spend money we don't have to address problems that don't exist, while causing foreseeable bad consequences that are worse than the imagined problem they are attempting to address.
A prime case of this is Yaw's bill to facilitate carbon sequestration. Carbon dioxide is at one of the lowest levels it has ever been in the history of the planet. At its lowest point, a century ago, it was dangerously close to a level which would end life on Earth. The increase we have seen has been advantageous for food production. If you don't cherry pick the time period you look at, you'll find that CO2 is not the threat you've been told.
Even if you do believe CO2 needs to be reduced, carbon sequestration is not the way to do it. The hazards of this process are similar to, but worse than, those of fracking. In fact, the bill requires seismic monitoring because it is known that it could trigger earthquakes. The procedure could also cause groundwater contamination, and other problems which are not fully understood as to their effect or severity.
The bill also pretends to give landowners a right they already have, then gives that right to others. In other words, it violates property owners' rights.
Why would Yaw do this to us? The answer is simple. He doesn't work for you, he works for lobbyists and donors. Someone stands to make a lot of money from carbon sequestration. Be assured, that someone is not you, but it will benefit Yaw in some way.
This bill is bad for the people of Pennsylvania, but it is good for the lobbyists who wrote it and for Yaw who introduced it to the Senate. Call Yaw's office and let him know you don't want to spend tax dollars to create more problems and then call your state rep and let them know also. This law needs to be repealed immediately.
PAUL RINKER
Montoursville
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom