Ed's Storms hope

[RC Macaulay]

Ed Storms wrote in the " are things really getting too complicated?" thread. >opefully, my comments can generate >ome discussion on Vortex.  After all, the usual discussion of the >arious scientific theories will have little importance if these social >and economic problems are not solved. I will give an example. Solid waste recycling in the USA. Background: Alcoa has a large mine and aluminun smelter at Rockdale Texas just outside of Austin. They stripmine lignite coal to fire the electric power generating plant for their electric furnaces. The plant has whiskers from WW2.Alcoa wishes to deactivate the facility because its a money loser and the environmental issues are a nightmare plus their ground water is becoming more profitable to sell than use. Recycling metals alone have become a large business and China is the big buyer. Consumer products like appliances, refrigerators, TV, computers, plastics and metals are being disposed in landfills because there is no feasible system in place for recycling. One suggestion for use of the some 60,000 acres and power plant is a private-public consortium corporation for a massive recylcing facility. Almost all the infrastructure for this puppose exists at the location from natural gas, water, electric power. land, open pit mining and rail service. Small recycling experiments have demonstrated scale of size is required to make the effort feasible. A multi-state effort directed toward recycling materials can reach acceptable cost- benefit ratios.  Alcoa is open to suggestions and have expressed a willingness to work on a plan in lieu of mothballing the facility. A plan could be put together that would permit Alcoa to make money two ways while addressing an issue that has lingered too long without a action plan. State and national organizations espousing an environmental agenda have been contacted regarding this proposal. The contact has been met with silence.this leaves onewondering aboutthe purpose of thesetax exempt advocates : are they in business to serve the public interest or they in business for another purpose? Ed, we have solutions for many of the nation's ills staring us in the face but it is difficult to have our leaders focus on the " necessary" when their attention is directed on where the money is.. politics! Richard