The Right's Top 5 EPA Conspiracy Theories

[BridgeTheGap]

From cracking down on milk spills to regulating human respiration, the power-crazed bureaucrats at the Environmental Protection Agency will stop at nothing to impose their sinister, tree-hugging agenda on the American public. At least, that's what Republican lawmakers, tea party activists, and industry groups would have you believe.

Conservatives have never been big fans of the EPA and its regulations, but lately the right has ramped up its assault on the agency. During the recent budget battle, House Republicans sought to decimate the agency's funding and handcuff it from acting on a long list of environmental concerns. GOP Presidential contender Newt Gingrich, meanwhile, has made abolishing the agency part of his campaign platform.

As Republicans attack the EPA, they are deploying an array of conspiratorial claims about all the things the agency plans to regulate. Here are some of our favorites:

BULLETS Last August, a rumor began circulating among pro-hunting and fishing groups that the agency was poised to ban the use of lead in bullets and shotgun shells. The claim soon went viral on right-wing blogs and TV shows. Before long, the president of the National Rifle Association joined the fray freakout, warning that this might be yet another "vehicle to implement gun control." GOP House members proceeded to lash out at the nonexistent move as an "assault on rural America."

More:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/top-5-epa-conspiracy-theories

[HopeHoops]

1. The EPA wants to ban people from breathing because we release carbon dioxide.

Wow. Wouldn't it be cool if THAT bullshit went viral on the freeper sites?

[gejohnston]

2. lead/steel shot back?

I remember that was an issue in the 1970s. Not being a duck hunter, I thought EPA, FWS and shooting sports community cleared that up when I was in high school.

That said, letting developers pave and pollute every where is the GOP's assault on rural America.

[TheWraith]

3. Lead is still banned for use in waterfowl hunting.

You need to use steel or tungsten.

There's been some movement afoot to further reduce the use of lead in hunting ammunition. There was a story awhile back about a doctor in North Dakota who was a hunter and falconer. As part of his membership in a bird of prey protection group, he saw a presentation on the dangers of lead fragments left in meat in the field, which would then be consumed by scavenging birds of prey. So he decided to use his equipment to x-ray processed hunter-killed venison to see if this was true. He admitted at first that he didn't expect it to be a big problem, but then he ended up finding lead microfragments, about the size of sand grains, in 60% of the venison he examined... venison that had been processed for human consumption.

There was also a subsequent study showing significant blood lead accumulation for people who eat meat shot with lead-based bullets. So the current recommendation is the use of lead-free bullets for hunting. I personally don't hunt for food (just pest control, woodchucks and opossums) but I use steel shot and reduced-lead bullets for target practice.

[gejohnston]

4. If I take up hunting again

Bow is starting to look good.