I call into question Mr. Lash’s opinion in the second sentence of this quotation:  “The US has long been a leader in environmental protection. Not all of that has been reversed by the current administration (Vol.2/No1).” Oh? What reversal?
In fact President Bush has not reversed course on the environment but has increased the requirements that will produce a cleaner environment. During his time in office the US EPA has promulgated two major initiatives that illustrate this point. US refineries are nearing completion on projects to make low-sulfur (15 ppm) diesel fuel (The current European standard is 50 ppm.) that will replace current fuels that range from 500 to 3,400 ppm. The use of clean fuel will enable all new diesel engines, both on-road and off-road, to comply with emission standards that by 2015, will limit emissions to 95 percent less particulate matter and 90 percent less nitrogen oxides compared to present engines. Early this year the EPA published the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) that also has a cap-and-trade component like the sulfur dioxide trading programme Mr. Lash mentions. It applies in the eastern half of the United States and it will reduce sulfur dioxide from power plants by 70 percent and nitrogen oxides by over 60 percent from 2003 levels by 2015.

Richard H. Schulze, Trinity Consultants, Dallas, Texas, US