Lew,

The thing to keep in mind here is that this project — with all its costs — was forced upon the county by the federal courts. Thanks to the state-induced “command-and-control” environmental systems, taxpayers are guaranteed to have to pay for the most expensive projects instead of being able to deal with pollution issues in a way commensurate with a free society.

The county got into trouble after it was forced by the courts to undertake a huge upgrade of its sewage system to meet federal water standards and stop raw and partially treated waste from being dumped into streams.

On top of that, there has been corruption, which should not be surprising, especially when politicians used to dealing with thousands or maybe even millions of dollars suddenly see billions passing through their hands.

But it goes back to the point that the feds have long dealt with pollution issues in a heavy-handed and economically inefficient way. George Reisman has long been writing about the high costs that the Greens have imposed upon us. Look at this episode as just one more example of the real fruits of environmentalism.