We regularly cover hot-topic industry issues that affect you and your businesses. One of those — the fuel emissions debate — rages on among government agencies, and has small business owners fretting over increased truck prices. 

Your input is not only appreciated, it helps us determine what matters to you and what industry changes mean to your businesses. Here’s what one reader had to say about an emissions regulations article.

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Letter to the Editor:

You guys have a great magazine, the Cleaner. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. But, I have some concern with a recently written article: 

The “Pay Now or Pay Later” article in July 2014 Cleaner is just the mindset that is killing this country. It is the view that government is needed to help ME, that is, I can’t help myself and need the government to do so. 

Please advise the writer that accepting the baloney that I should be happy about paying more for a fuel-efficient truck is just nonsense and is just the modern propaganda from a big and growing government that has its people dependent upon it. 

How about paying as little as possible and doing the mileage enhancing work yourself? This is done every day. 

These “acceptable” costs and regulations are masked tax increases and continue to plumage our country. 

It is common that most all would like clean air (as a clean street or a clean house or a clean room or a clean kitchen, etc.) — this is normal to man. No one should be opposed to controlling pollution, but at the rate these regulations are coming to us regarding our vehicles (and we make our living and livelihood using them!) they are crippling industry and economic growth. 

Many — MANY — companies have paid large amounts of monies repairing their trucks and have had countless hours of vehicle downtime to due to the “pollution controlling regulations.” I, firsthand, saw of a loss over $150,000 in one year on a vehicle due to out-of-pocket costs and loss revenues due to downtime. 

Can you afford to give up $150,000? Should the government be able to determine you can? 

Are we more concerned about “pollution” than the livelihood of man? When do we decide that new regulations and laws cripple and hurt the economy or people or their growth and betterment/increase that we should stop? 

It is your readers (most of whom are probably middle class like you!) who are the type of people who keep this country going and provide jobs. Get their thoughts. 

Bill Hartley
Owner
www.firstenvironmental.com

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Since the article ran in Cleaner, we’ve posted a more in-depth article that better aligns with Hartley’s response. Take a look, and let us know what you think.