Despite union bosses aligning themselves with environmental extremists as a means of shoring up their falling membership rates, in the State of Washington, unions are teaming up with big business against their usual allies, environmentalists, commercial fishermen, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and the EPA—over the amount of fish that people consume.
The fish dispute stems from state contemplating consideration of sharply raising the rate of fish consumption it considers ‘normal.’
Currently, the state estimates people eat 6 1/2 grams per day and is considering raising the standard to between 125 and 225 grams of fish a day.
This, consequentially, means that fewer pollutants will be allowed into the water, according to the Columbian.
On Monday, the unions held a press conference urging the Democrat governor Jay Inslee to balance the need for jobs, along with fish eaters’ appetites environmental concerns.
Unions representing Boeing machinists and millworkers are siding with businesses in a bitter fight over how much fish people eat, and thus how clean Washington state waters should be.
The Machinists union and others are worried a new water quality standard being developed by the state would hurt jobs and economic development.
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The state Department of Ecology appears ready to sharply increase Washington’s fish consumption rate, an obscure number that has huge implications because it helps set water quality standards. A higher number means fewer toxic pollutants would be permitted in waters.
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A draft rule that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must approve is expected this summer .
The EPA has told Washington that its current rate doesn’t sufficiently protect those who eat the most fish, particularly Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. The federal agency also has warned Washington officials it plans to take over the process if the state doesn’t come up with a final rule by the end of 2014. [Emphasis added.]
Between Seattle’s minimum wage increase and Obama’s EPA mandating and increasing the amount of fish people allegedly eat, Washington State may soon find it ever harder to hook those companies it depends on for jobs in the state.
- Related: The Unintended Consequences of Feel-Good Economics: How the $15 minimum wage is costing workers more
* Note: Before astute readers, who may or may not enjoy the sport of fishing, chastise the ‘mackerel’ reference in the itle of this post, it should be know that there is Mackerel—which is, normally, a warmer-water fish—in the Pacific Northwest during el ninos, according to this forum.
