Dangerous Initiative
As the incumbent President, George Bush’s record has been under close scrutiny with the upcoming election in November. The Iraq War, rising healthcare costs, the economy, social security, past military service and even gay marriage are all issues on voters’ minds. Despite all of this, the Clear Skies Initiative represents one of the most dangerous attacks on our way of life, health and safety. We cannot elect a President that sacrifices the American people for political gain and corporate profit.
In December, the Bush Administration declared that mercury should not be regulated as a toxic substance. If that is the case, we should repeal asbestos and lead as toxic substances as well. With the fear of future terrorist attacks on our soil, it’s easy to overlook the domestic threat our environment faces.
Mercury exposure can cause memory loss, high blood pressure and infertility. Unsafe mercury levels can be found in over 600,000 babies each year and can cause autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disabilities, blindness and deafness. These are just a few of mercury’s horrendous side effects. Each year, there is 48 tons of mercury released from our coal-burning power plants, the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States. This poses a major health risk for adults and babies alike.
There are currently two solutions to this problem: technology to clear 90f mercury emissions by 2008 or a “cap and trade” approach. The Department of Energy claims this short-term technology does not currently exist; therefore the “cap and trade” strategy is our most promising avenue of attack. To give the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume that this technology really doesn’t exist. Shouldn’t we work together to find the best answer, rather than let the power industry weasel its way out of the quickest solution?
It’s not surprising that those who deny the existence of the necessary technology to reduce emissions by 2008 are representatives of the power industry or top officials in the Bush Administration—the same administration that attempted to allow more arsenic in drinking water and let logging companies cut down trees in the name of “healthy forests.”
The proposed strategy would give a yearly cap on mercury emissions for America’s coal-burning power plants. The cap would drop to 26 tons in 2010 and 15 tons in 2018. If a plant produces fewer emissions than the average plant, it can sell its “pollution credits” to another plant as if it were some kind of financial stock! This pollution stock exchange is risky, if not downright reckless. If a cleaner plant sells all of its credits to a dirty plant, this would create a mercury “hot spot” in the surrounding area. Furthermore, mercury emissions in the air return through precipitation to pollute our waterways, our fish, our drinking water and are eventually consumed by humans.
We need to act now on this hazard instead of waiting 14 years. Lives are at stake while power industry executives continue to collect massive profits. We cannot let a power industry “puppet” remain in power of our country. We need a President who envisions a healthy environment in our future—not a President who seeks the short-term gratification of re-election. Clearly, any American concerned with the future health of our people will vote against President Bush this November.
As published in the Gainesville Sun on March 31, 2004.
In December, the Bush Administration declared that mercury should not be regulated as a toxic substance. If that is the case, we should repeal asbestos and lead as toxic substances as well. With the fear of future terrorist attacks on our soil, it’s easy to overlook the domestic threat our environment faces.
Mercury exposure can cause memory loss, high blood pressure and infertility. Unsafe mercury levels can be found in over 600,000 babies each year and can cause autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disabilities, blindness and deafness. These are just a few of mercury’s horrendous side effects. Each year, there is 48 tons of mercury released from our coal-burning power plants, the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States. This poses a major health risk for adults and babies alike.
There are currently two solutions to this problem: technology to clear 90f mercury emissions by 2008 or a “cap and trade” approach. The Department of Energy claims this short-term technology does not currently exist; therefore the “cap and trade” strategy is our most promising avenue of attack. To give the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume that this technology really doesn’t exist. Shouldn’t we work together to find the best answer, rather than let the power industry weasel its way out of the quickest solution?
It’s not surprising that those who deny the existence of the necessary technology to reduce emissions by 2008 are representatives of the power industry or top officials in the Bush Administration—the same administration that attempted to allow more arsenic in drinking water and let logging companies cut down trees in the name of “healthy forests.”
The proposed strategy would give a yearly cap on mercury emissions for America’s coal-burning power plants. The cap would drop to 26 tons in 2010 and 15 tons in 2018. If a plant produces fewer emissions than the average plant, it can sell its “pollution credits” to another plant as if it were some kind of financial stock! This pollution stock exchange is risky, if not downright reckless. If a cleaner plant sells all of its credits to a dirty plant, this would create a mercury “hot spot” in the surrounding area. Furthermore, mercury emissions in the air return through precipitation to pollute our waterways, our fish, our drinking water and are eventually consumed by humans.
We need to act now on this hazard instead of waiting 14 years. Lives are at stake while power industry executives continue to collect massive profits. We cannot let a power industry “puppet” remain in power of our country. We need a President who envisions a healthy environment in our future—not a President who seeks the short-term gratification of re-election. Clearly, any American concerned with the future health of our people will vote against President Bush this November.
As published in the Gainesville Sun on March 31, 2004.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home