“If I am not mistaken, a cyclists [sic] has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride....... Bicyclists need to start paying for the roads they ride on rather than make motorists pay.”
—Washington State Rep. Ed Orcutt (R)
“Also, you claim that it is environmentally friendly to ride a bike. But if I am not mistaken, a cyclists (sic) has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.” ”
—- Representative Ed Orcutt of Kalama, WA
Today in “Actual Republicans, or Satire?”
“Also, you claim that it is environmentally friendly to ride a bike. But if I am not mistaken, a cyclists (sic) has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.”
—Rep. Ed Orcutt (WA –R -Kalama) (“Republican Claims Bicycling Is Bad For The Environment” [Steelman 2013])
Washington Republican State Lawmaker Defends Bike Tax: Bicycling Bad For The Enivronment
A Washington State Representative is defending his support for a tax on bicycles on the grounds that biking creates more pollution than driving a car:
Representative Ed Orcutt (R – Kalama) does not think bicycling is environmentally friendly because the activity causes cyclists to have “an increased heart rate and respiration.”
This is according to comments he made in an email to a constituent who questioned the wisdom of a new bike taxthe legislature is considering as part of a large transportation package.
We spoke with Rep. Orcutt to confirm the email’s authenticity and to get further clarification.
“You would be giving off more CO2 if you are riding a bike than driving in a car,” he said. However, he said he had not “done any analysis” of the difference in CO2 from a person on a bike compared to the engine of a car (others have).
“You can’t just say that there’s no pollution as a result of riding a bicycle.”
He said the email, which he had not reviewed since he is away from from his computer for the day, must have come from a constituent who disagrees with him (UPDATE: Cascade has posted the full exchange, which was with Dale Carlson, owner of BikeTech in Tacoma).
“Somebody doesn’t like me, and that’s fine,” he said.
Representative Orcutt, it appears that knowledge, reason, and common sense don’t like you very much either.
I trust I don’t need to go through a detailed explanation of why Orcutt is wrong.
by Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway
http://<p>http//www.kgw.com/news/local/Wash-reps-email-drawing-ire-from-bike-community-194553321.html</p>
<p>httpa one way ticket to the moon, please.
“The act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride." Yes, you read that right. I'll pause for a moment to let your disbelief and rage subside over such ignorance.”
—Katelyn Coyne delivers her take on the words of Washington state legislator Ed Orcutt in regard to a transportation spending bill that accuse bicyclists of pollution.Cyclists Do Not Emit More Carbon Than Cars, State Legislator Admits
npr.orgDays after angering cyclists with his contention that people who ride bikes don’t help pay for roads — and stating that “the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider,” Washington State Rep. Ed Orcutt has apologized for his words, and any confusion they created.
