California just keeps getting crazier. When it comes to the most absurd use of taxpayer money, the city of Los Angeles may just win the award. In a move intended to cool down the city and fight the effects of global warming, the city is painting many of its streets with a grayish-white substance known as CoolSeal, which reflects sunlight, in theory making the city cooler.
The cost to taxpayers is a mere $40,000 per mile. With 6,500 miles of road in Los Angeles, that’s a hefty price tag, more than a quarter of a billion dollars. Admittedly, there are no plans to paint all the roads in L.A. — yet. Even so, $40,000 per mile seems a hefty price to pay, especially for something that has to be redone every seven years.
City officials, led by Mayor Eric Garcetti, are hoping that the whiter roadways will reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which can make urban areas much warmer than rural areas....