Debating coal's future
BY SARA PEACHThe residents of Meigs County, Ohio, live beneath the towering smokestacks of four coal-fired power plants. Elisa Young worries about the health effects of the plants, but others in her community are eager for the jobs a new plant could bring.
(Editor's note: On Nov. 25, 2009, American Municipal Power announced it was canceling the proposed new coal plant.)
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Robert Cox
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Powerful This was hurt to watch at times--a powerful, even hurtful, contrast of voices and fears, and hope. It's clear the status quo isn't working, despite some fear of what might come next. It's an important story to tell. Thank you. |
Jill DeWitt
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policy coordinator Your painting says it beautifully, Elisa. The future is in our hands. Will we continue to use coal that adds mercury to our waters and fishing streams, and take down another 500 mountaintops, or move forward with clean energy and energy efficiency to reduce demand? So much depends on the courage of people like you and your town. Thank you for raising these questions. |
Kyle Valentini
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Agency Coordinator Thank you for sharing this. Elisa, I will continue to fight with you...for as long as it takes... until a solution is found. Your constant and fearless fight will not be forgotten. There are answers out there. We will find them. |
Elisa Young
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Founder, Meigs Citizens Action Now! While “Debating Coal’s Future” does not discuss solutions, they do exist, and I hope the mini-documentary will serve to get people openly discussing how their electricity is generated and take responsibility for moving things in a more just direction. I was surprised to see Meigs County leadership voicing views that are unaware of coal’s impacts to human health and associated mortalities. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/co...29/24/1753 I have heard multiple people comment that the reason people are dying here is because they smoke. None of my neighbors that died of cancer (even lung cancer) smoked. Our health is in fact affected by power plants, coal ash dumps, and from living in proximity to the coal mines that fuel them: http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=10209 We have the highest asthma rate in the state, but our children are the least likely to have health insurance (state average is 9.6%, our children come in at 18.6%; adults at 17.9%). Meigs has the highest population to physician ratio at 3,852 (state average is 852 according to the Ohio Department of Health). We have the highest lung cancer death rate in the state. Perry County (intense coal mining) - is the only other county ahead of Meigs for top combined cancer death rates. Cancer, asthma, strokes, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are directly attributable to power plant emissions. (Links to health reports: http://www.campusprogress.org/...lisa-young ) This is a human rights issue. http://vimeo.com/2229549 $30 million of economic stimulus money just went to funding another coal-fired power plant here. We need people to stand up and take responsibility for how their electricity is generated and demand that this money NOT be used to further entrench us in an economic dependency and an energy infrastructure that condemns our children to fossil fuel problems we are not taking the responsibility to resolve. How far do you think that same $30 million of economic stimulus money could go toward funding career pathways in energy efficiency, renewable energies, and energy independence? (Last year about half that amount went to fund renewable installation in Ohio) My family went on geothermal and solar 30 years ago, not because they were rich, but because 30 years ago the Carter administration made tax incentives a priority for businesses and homeowners to shift to renewable energy. I have a friend who is a 5th generation Floridian, Joy Ezell. They wanted to site a power plant in her community (in the Everglades) to fuel Disney World. She and her community fought against it and won. She called me from a renewable energy portfolio conference months later to share that they have now shown the entire state of Florida could be fueled with wave energy within 3 years if that financial investment is made. No coal. If they expand that technology across the coast line, they can do the entire United States within 10. No coal. I don’t think centralized energy production is the route to go long term because it makes us vulnerable. Renewable energy production needs to be as diverse as it is decentralized, but think about what this investment could mean to our kids and our grandkids? No greenhouse gas emissions while America becomes the real leaders in a sustainable energy future that puts our kids to work and out of harm’s way. Think how many good union jobs this money could create in working toward a just energy transition? We do need good jobs, desperately, but not jobs that kill us. Elisa Young Racine, Ohio www.meigscan.org |
Elisa Young
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... Also, thanks for the encouragement. Here is the story of the painting: http://beinganddoing.org/katie/?p=32 |
mrbuddy
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Coal And the wind blows east to Pa. What is Ohio Edison stance behind building these coal plants?? I am surprised the Governor of Ohio gave stimulus money to build more!!Science must be able to sequestor the dirty smoke and chemicals!!! |
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