Central California County May Ban Wood Fireplaces
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in Central California has issued a proposal to ban conventional home wood-burning fireplaces.
The plan would forbid the use of most wood-burning fireplaces and stoves and they would be prohibited in the construction of new homes. Country officials claim that Environmental Protection Agency-imposed regulations under the Federal Clean Air Act are triggering the draconian measure.
According to the DeWeese Report, "Masonry fireplaces would have to be permanently disabled, converted to natural gas or upgraded to expensive soot-containing models before homes could be sold. In addition, on winter days, many Central Californians would be prohibited from lighting up their existing wood-burning stoves. More than 500,000 homes are affected."
Converting over existing fireplaces to meet the new requirements could cost "property owners from $1,500 to $3000, not including the thousands it can cost for installation of gas stoves, and converting traditional brick fireplaces to natural gas."
For many families in Central California who rely on their existing fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, these new environmental regulations would add unnecessary costs in order to comply with the new regulation.
For more information visit the DeWeese Report at the American Policy Center website: www.americanpolicy.org.
Freedom Cruise Marks Liberation of Grenada
Freedom Alliance in association with the National Rifle Association (NRA) will observe the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Grenada with a 7-day Freedom Cruise that will set sail for the Caribbean March1-8, 2003.
The Freedom Cruise will depart from San Juan on Saturday, March 1st, and set sail for Aruba, Caracas, Dominica, St. Thomas and Grenada.
Lt. Col. Oliver North will lead the group on a private tour of Grenada to relive Ronald Reagan’s 1983 liberation of Grenada.
The all-star roster to address the 2003 Freedom Cruise includes: Oliver North, author of Mission Compromised; Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the NRA and coauthor of Shooting Straight: Telling the Truth About Guns in America; Duane "Dewey" Clarridge, espionage and counter-terrorism expert; Ed Meese, former Attorney General and advisor to Ronald Reagan; Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R.-Calif.), and former Rep. Bob Barr (R.-Ga.).
For registration information call Kristen Short (434) 296-8187 or Cruise Authority (888) 997-7223 or visit the Freedom Alliance website: www.freedomalliance.org or www.tcacruise.com/freedomcruise2003.
CATO Policy Handbook For 107th Congress
The latest edition of the CATO Handbok for Congress: Policy Recommendations for the 107th Congress is now available from the CATO Institute.
The Handbook offers policy reforms for a comprehensive range of public sector changes from Social Security to gun control.
Sections include: Urgent Action Agenda, Government Reform, Federal Agencies, Threats to Civil Liberties, Money and Banking, Domestic Policy, Regulation, Energy and Environment, Foreign Defense Policy, and International Economic Policy. Within each section are specific market-oriented reform measures that would minimize government red tape by rolling back bureaucratic government regulations.
Specific federal agencies are targeted for elimination: Departments of Education, Commerce, and Energy.
For more information visit the CATO website: www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/handbook107.html.
Energy Department Forecast: More Demand for Foreign Oil
The annual forecast of U.S. energy market demand, Annual Energy Outlook 2003: With Projections to 2025, released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reveals the energy market to be "dependent of oil prices, economic growth, consumer behavior, and rate of technological improvement" as global demands for oil increase.
According to DOE, U.S. imported oil demand will "grow from its current level of 55% to between 65% and 70% of consumption by the end of the forecast period."
The report recognizes the increased use of daily driving and the potential for higher petroleum prices considering the refining costs and Middle East instability.
New technological developments are likely to play a role in stabilizing residential consumption. The report also reveals "that the U.S. expects to deplete conventional natural gas resources in the lower 48 states over the next 25 years.
Continued growth in natural gas demand is expected along with the depletion of local resources. One recommendation is to "consider the deployment of new distribution systems such as the Trans Alaska pipeline and the MacKenzie Delta pipeline in Canada.
The full text of the Annual Energy Outlook is available at the Department of Energy web site: www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/0383(2003).pdf.
