In the Republican response to the presidential address to a joint session of Congress, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal chided the lawmakers for earmarking “$140 million for something called volcano monitoring.” The funds he was referring to are part of the $787 billion stimulus package…some 12 percent ($98.3 billion) of the monies are set aside for transportation and infrastructure projects, including volcano monitoring and other natural disaster prevention programs.
The U.S. Geological Society (USGS) is in charge of keeping tabs on volcanoes in the U.S. and its territories. The agency is currently monitoring more than 150 of them (from Yellowstone in Wyoming to Kilauea in Hawaii), some 65 of which show signs of seismic activity and are more likely than the others to erupt (including Redoubt in Alaska and Mauna Loa in Hawaii). But USGS officials aren’t just worried about Hollywood-caliber lava blowups. Other threats include potentially deadly landslides, falling rocky ash, and inundation by toxic gases that can be triggered by volcanic eruptions.
Is volcano monitoring important?
It’s extremely important. There are obvious hazards to nearby residents. Beyond human safety, there are huge economic concerns. It’s not that eruptions can be stopped, but, like a hurricane, it’s good to know when it’s coming…
There’s a huge hazard in the air from eruption plumes. Volcanic ash is not like ash from the fireplace. It’s basically pulverized rocks and glass particles. Putting glass in a jet engine isn’t good. That’s why the monitoring in Alaska is extremely important to the aviation industry.
Looks like Republicans have an anti-science track record to maintain. We went through the same ignorance, the same foolishness when Sarah Palin prattled about wasting money on French fruit flies.
Damn, the ijits are out again.
#9, Floyd,
You make a good point. It is too bad that the ijits can’t see it. They are all stuck on this “Personal Responsibility” thing. Which is just another way of saying the peons are only there to be taken to the cleaners by their puppet masters.
General Budget / Stimulus, what the eff is the problem? Building, installing, and monitoring the sensors and interpretation of the data creates jobs that will show a benefit to the country. It is something we need to protect us.
Here are some questions about the Volcano Monitoring.
140 million dollars to cover 150 volcanoes. That’s ~$933,000 per volcano.
Who came up with this number? Why is it so costly? How long will this money last before they ask for more? Is all of this money going to watch volcanoes or is some of it going to be diverted into other projects?
Who is going to head the program? Who is going to account for the money spent?
Why was this slipped into the package with no questions asked?
There is a very good reason not to have stuff like this in an emergency “stimulus” package.
# 20 Floyd said, “The stimulus package will be spent mostly on infrastructure ”
Actually, < 20% is for any useful infrastructure.
# 22 Ah_Yea said, “140 million dollars to cover 150 volcanoes. That’s ~$933,000 per volcano.”
There are about 65 volcanoes in the US that are considered active. I can see why they had to jam the money to monitor 150 into an emergency bill. ROFL!
Look on the bright side, with 150 volcanoes, this monitoring $ will save or create 150 jobs.
In order to monitor a volcano, especially a high risk one like Mt. Rainier or Yellowstone, you need a team of scientists; 5-10 to maintain and monitor the equipment, along with a roving team to do repairs on several volcanos worth of equipment. You also need the equipment itself (which, since it must operate under harsh conditions is rather expensive), a facility to house the monitoring station, transportation in and out of rather remote places, supplies to keep the station going through the winter, ect. Further, this money will likely last several years at least, and a lot of repair to the system must be done to undo a decade of neglect. A few million per station is reasonable, especially compared to the billions in damage that would be caused by the unexpected eruption of a volcano like Mt. Rainier, or, God help us, Yellowstone.
As for stimulus, this will certainly be stimulating to the geologists involved, the scientific equipment companies making the monitoring equipment, and the construction workers that have to rebuild and repair monitoring stations and the roads to them. Really, the only reason I can thing of for Bobby ‘PeeWee’ Jindal disliking this is either total ignorance, the assumption of total ignorance from his supporters, or regional jealously. Not a good basis for policy, I say.
Obama’s rapid response team at work…Not a word about Nancy Pelosi, who like a “hack in the box…up come’s the weasel” at every mention of money…only then was the vacant look in her eyes replaced by the image of a seal clapping her flippers at Sea World.
Some of you (paddy) have no since of history or even how our government works. Rider amendments on important bills are the norm and have been since the 1st United States Congress in 1789. The party in power has always packed unrelated stuff into must pass (or make sure this can’t pass) bills. The GOP was exceedingly guilty of this earlier in the decade REMEMBER. Those of us who did not care for their ideals just held our noses like you have to when driving past a hog farm. It’s time for the other side to get some nose plugs. you bunch of whiners.
I can see mount Redoubt from my dinning room(yesterday I could see it smoking) I’m glad they are keeping a close eye on it and the rest. I fly out of Series of tubes International Airport a half a dozen times a year and can tell you we have thousands of passengers and millions of dollars of cargo flying over volcanoes every day. If it was time to add more cash to monitoring these I’m ok with tacking it on to the next bill in the queue.
# 28 Ground she’s movin’ “Some of you (paddy) have no since of history or even how our government works. Rider amendments on important bills are the norm and have been since the 1st United States Congress in 1789. The party in power has always packed unrelated stuff ”
No, I’m FAR more aware of it than you. I just thought that O’mama was going to end the practice… LOL
#29
Do you fell for the “He must have Devine Powers” crap the right wing radio heads like to push? Fool.
The song remains the same and the other side gets to sing lead for awhile (finally)
Wrong Title – it should read:
Bobby Jindal knows as much about volcanoes – as Barack Obama knows about Economic Basics
all i heard when jindal talked was blah, blah, blah, waaaah, blah, blah, waaaah, blah, blah
# 30 Ground she’s movin’ under me said, “Do you fell for the “He must have Devine Powers” crap the right wing radio heads like to push?”
Huh? This is the 1st time I’ve seen the guy. The point he made was 100% valid. What are you babbling about?
@paddy-o
“And, the monitoring has WHAT to do with an emergency econ stimulus plan?”
no one seems to mind the money for the police and military.
just sayin’
# 34 grog said, “no one seems to mind the money for the police and military.”
I do & most of the people I know do mind.
Just saying.
# 34 grog said, “no one seems to mind the money for the police and military.”
I do & most of the people I know do mind.
Just saying.
yay you.
now try to get any elected member of the gop to say that they agree with you.
i’ll wait.
@paddy-o
bonus points if you can get rush limbaugh or ann coulter or bill o’reilly to say that they disagree with the military spending in the stimulus bill.
ain’t gonna happen.
If this is the future of the Republican party I am glad I no longer am one. Sigh.
Only 37 replies so far on a Palin-invoked thread. Hack editors continue to fail at life.
#39 james hill
yeah, no one cares about sarah palin any more.