There’s a few lines in Douglas Adams’ third “Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” book that deals with the idea of something being somebody else’s problem.
The idea Adams portrayed, somewhat comically, is that the brain will edit out things either critically alarming and dangerous or something so inconceivable that the mind can’t accept it, making that thing invisible because it’s somebody else’s problem.
At times, it seems this principal effects how critical issues are seen in Wyoming. Take the recent letter sent by Sweetwater County in regard to ozone regulations proposed by the EPA. In short, they argue that the proposed ozone regulations would hurt Wyoming industry and are more appropriate for the eastern U.S. because, obviously, air pollution is somebody else’s problem. Moving beyond that, look at how people, including a former county commissioner, comment about all the steam coming from the stacks at the Jim Bridger Power Plant because smoke, and the resulting air pollution that would entail, is somebody else’s problem.
At the state legislature, discussion about creating science guidelines that were unique to Wyoming also displayed this idea, because one of the things those initial discussions aimed to do is remove climate science from school study. Climate science, and the idea that humans are impacting the environment, it seemed at first, is something somebody else should worry about. Some theorize the reason behind the brutal snowstorms occurring in the eastern U.S. is due to increased CO2 emissions coming from China. But, there again, the snow isn’t dumping on our heads, so it’s somebody else’s problem.
Why do we chose this way of thinking? Going back to the ozone regulations, isn’t promoting better controls on pollutants like ozone a good thing for the residents of Wyoming? The thought that it isn’t Wyoming’s problem is easily disproved by Sublette County’s ongoing battle with ground-level ozone, which is related to the oil and gas industry in the county.
Burying one’s head in the sand and ignoring issues isn’t the way Wyoming residents deal with their problems. They deal with them head on, and issues regarding regional haze, ozone and CO2 emissions, even though they don’t directly effect us in most cases, should be taken more seriously that the usual response of filing lawsuits against the federal government to overturn the rule.
It’s time Wyoming and its industries tackle these issues and provide a shining example across the county on how 21st century thinking should be applied to 20th century problems. At very least, industry and state officials should stop ignoring one of the major problems of our generation, by choosing to view pollution as somebody else’s problem.
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