It’s as if these people don’t know what’s going on. Oh, wait; that’s exactly what’s happening here. Virginia just got blasted with a winter storm. It was no blizzard, but the snow, freezing rain, and sleet combo has created a headache for VDOT crews. It’s even worse in D.C. The concrete snow, as it’s called, continues to create havoc, with some major roads still essentially one-lane days after the weather event.
Salt is crucial for maintenance and cleanup in these conditions, but State Sen. Danica Roem, a Democrat, is pushing for an alternative to address winter ice. I guess Roem didn’t read about Seattle trying to do this and failing some 17 years ago (via Seattle Times c. 2009):
The snow has melted, but Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels is still trudging through the political aftermath.
At a City Hall news conference Wednesday, Nickels — whose storm-time decision making has been criticized in neighborhood conversations, newspapers, blogs and talk radio — acknowledged “mistakes” in the city’s response.
He reversed one of the city’s most controversial policies and said road crews will now use salt during major storms, something barred for a decade because of environmental concerns.
Nickels stuck by the “B” grade he gave the city last week. But his tone was more empathetic as he attempted to assert leadership going forward.
At one point, he leaned into the microphone:
“I’m in charge of the city’s response,” Nickels said. “We will make sure that we will learn from any mistakes that were made.”
Roem is looking to ban salt for the same reasons. These people are just insufferably stupid, addicted to retreads of bad public policy.