I came through West Virginia along Route 77. That state is a complete disgrace to this country.
As I entered West Virginia from Ohio the air changed color. The air in Ohio was clear and the air in West Virginia was white. Yes, that’s right the smog was so bad it hung in the air. As tractor trailers were making their way up the mountains there was smoke spewing out the stacks, especially from older trucks. The air was so saturated with pollution the exhaust hung in the air like clouds.
Soot, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, aldehydes, primary formaldehyde, acrolein, and a variety of hydrocarbons, fumes, along with ground ozone and the pollution of mountain top mining which was now visible from Route 77 at PAX, West Virginia due to clear cut foresting.
The air was white with pollution as bright sunshine streamed through the toxic breathing cocktail to irritate chemical interaction regardless of the air temperature. That white air was denser at altitude more so than lower altitude. Most probably this density difference is due to air becoming warmer at the lower elevations and rising as it heated.
White air is toxic. I worn a mask during most of my driver through West Virginia.
The Turnpike tolls of which there is three went from $4.00 to $4.25. It is possible with GPS to avoid the tolls if one is willing to add about an hour to the driving time. The West Virginia tolls were making $1.00 jumps regularly until it went from $2 to $4. The extra quarter is a curiosity. It complicates and prolongs traversing the turnpike since the toll takers have to make change of the cash payments.
Yes, this entry is a complaint.
The EPA needs to measure the pollution in West Virginia along its turnpike in a day with weather conditions that occurred today. The wind was 4 knots per hour. The air was not stagnant and the pollution was horrible. The toll booths are building up more pollution because there are now lines waiting for change.
Just a little more insight; there were few interstate trucks. I did see one UPS truck, one Amazon truck and one USA truck. The point is that Route 77 through West Virginia is a brutally cruel to drive. It is absolutely correct to have a 60 mph speed limit to reduce accidents. There were no accidents today in my trip.
Heavy pollution in the air leads to polluted water in streams and creeks and run off in overland flow. Polluted water means fish are taking in pollution. Don’t be surprised when tourism falls off for these problems. No one wants to breath that air, they don’t want their children or pets breathing that air. The US HHS should ask for population stats for asthma, COPD and lung cancer for both adults and children to bring reasons for the people to understand the dangers of the air. There is danger to the lungs of West Virginia people in addition to Black Lung and COVID-19 and it’s variants.
The state can be held responsible for negligence in air and water quality, hence, producing lung disease.
The issue with the lack of interstate truck census on the road is that all those increases in tolls is impacting in-state trucks. So the income from tolls is recirculating within state and there is some out of state income. Continuing to raise road tolls may very well be causing in state commerce issues rather than adding to the state treasury.
There is not one electronic billboard anywhere along I-77 in West Virginia. That is important because of the inability to rebut political billboards.
Example:
Billboard says, “Senator Joe Manchin don’t let them raise taxes in Main Street business.” If that were an electronic billboard the very next billboard could read “The Build Back Better Bill does not raise taxes on Main Street businesses.” And sponsored by DCCC.
There is no leadership in West Virginia. The people turn there politicians into iconic images of their collective wisdom such prohibiting taxes on Main Street businesses and create political victories that are wise and powerful. The politics are as toxic as the air.
In the most sincerest of concern the US Army Corp testing of the states waters should be reviewed by HHS, along with the incidence of asthma, COPD and lung cancers over history to realize the deterioration of environmental safety for human beings. I never thought air in the USA would ever compete equally with that in China.
As I left West Virginia and just past Princeton in Virginia, the air was as clear as Ohio and the sky blue with plenty of sunshine as I descended the mountains of Virginia. It was possible to see Pilot Mountain in North Carolina from the highway near Princeton. The view was breathtaking.
West Virginia needs to be liberated from oppressive politics. It’s mountain top removal has made the state perfect for wind turbines and solar panels that would not pollute the air. The clear cutting of forests are also comprising the air quality.
The federal government has ignored the health and well being of West Virginians long enough. The US Congressional holy men and women should feel free to pray for the people of West Virginia from the floor of the US House and US Senate. They should pray daily to provide bravery in leadership of the country to be a world example of Zero Greenhouse Gas emissions. The beginning of the new year is an absolutely wonderful time to include Earth and it’s people in the morning prayer.
