Reluctant regulators

The Hydrocarbon Processing Industry (HPI), has traditionally been reluctant to invest capital where an immediate direct return on the investment to the company is not obvious, as would any business enterprise. Additionally financial fire losses in the petroleum and related industries were relatively small up to about the 1950 s. This was due to the small size of facilities and the relatively low value of oil and gas to the volume of production. Until 1950, a fire or explosion loss of more than 5 million U. S. Dollars had not occurred in the refining industry in the USA. Also in this period, the capital intensive offshore oil exploration and production industry were only just beginning. The use of gas was also limited early in the century. Consequentially its value was also very low. Typically production gas was immediately flared or the well was capped and considered as an uneconomical reservoir. Since gas development was limited, large vapor explosions were relatively rare and catastrophic destruction from petroleum incidents was essentially unheard of. The outlays for petroleum industry safety features were traditionally the absolute minimum required by governmental regulations. The development of loss prevention philosophies and practices were therefore not effectively developed within the industry. 

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for ADHD include symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity or/impulsiv-ity patients can have either combined type, or predominantly inattentive (see below) or predominantly hy-peractive/impulsive types (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Many of the symptoms of inattention relate to attentional abilities of the PFC—for example, difficulty sustaining attention, difficulty organizing, easily distracted, and forgetful. However, other symptoms described by DSM-FV could result from either PFC or posterior cortical attentional dysfunction— e.g., does not seem to listen, reluctance or difficulty engaging in tasks that require mental effort, poor attention to details. Thus, these symptoms could arise either due to poor attention regulation by the PFC or due to poor attentional allocation by the posterior cortices. Similarly, many of the symptoms of hyperactivity/... 

This formula can dry dampness and stimulate the Spleen, regulate the Qi and soothe the Stomach. It treats accumulation of dampness in the Middle-Jiao that obstructs the Qi movement of the Spleen and Stomach. The symptoms are distension and fullness in the epigastria and abdomen, reduced appetite, nausea, vomiting, belching and acid regurgitation, heaviness of the limbs and reluctance to move. A white, sticky or thick tongue coating and a slow and soft pulse indicate the accumulation in this syndrome. In this formula ... 

For the most part, regulators are reluctant to embrace remediation strategies that rely only on containment (i.e., without some mass removal). The need to supplement the use of vertical barriers with other measures (e.g., pumping) detracts from the overall cost-effectiveness. 

Noneconomic barriers refer to a number of constraints on utilization. These include technical concerns such as lack of technical information or concerns regarding the quality of products or processes. These barriers also include the reluctance of consumers, processors, and regulators to employ new approaches or technologies for aesthetic or other reasons. They also include constraints on utilization because of health and safety, environmental issues, laws, and regulations. 

Some environmentalists and former environmental regulators I have spoken to are reluctant to embrace a dramatic increase in methanol use, in part because it is used to make mtbe, a gasoline additive now being phased out in California because of environmental concerns such as groundwater contamination (although in fairness to methanol, which exists in nature and degrades quickly, mtbe, in contrast, is a complex, man-made compound that exhibits little degradation once released into the environment). 

One of the conclusions from the IUCN survey was that the breadth of the access and benefit-sharing policies that have been developed have impaired their effective implementation.39 There is significant controversy over the ownership status of genetic materials acquired before the CBD which may or may not be in the country of origin. Without clarification of their legal status, researchers are reluctant to study those materials. Some national access and benefit-sharing laws (e.g. those of the Philippines, Costa Rica, Peru and Samoa) have clearly defined criteria for the minimum benefits they expect to receive. Some regulations place very strict limits on the amount of material that can be accessed. 

---