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| Progress Energy Coal Plant, on Lake Julian |
The North Carolina Legislature is
fighting to pass Senate Bill 612 which will relax environmental laws originally
put in place to prevent big energy plants from polluting the environment. The
bill has passed through the Senate and is on its way to the House. This bill,
if passed, will allow energy plants such as the Progress Energy power plant in
Arden, North Carolina, to contaminate ground water all the way up to their
property lines and not just 500 feet from the plant as existing laws require. This
could result in pollution beyond their property lines and onto the property of
adjacent owners. Many citizens are concerned for their health because if the
bill passes, local drinking water in the Arden area is in danger of pollution
from the ash pond that is at the local coal plant. The North Carolina Division
of Water Quality is fighting to protect clean water and to defeat the
Republican legislative leaders who are trying to pass this bill.
Legislative
measures need to be taken to protect the water ways of our country. Although
the storage of wastes may be “safe” there is always the chance of something
happening. Our health is on the line and for us to sit back and let bills be
passed that can potentially endanger our health is unwise. Citizens need to come
together and actively fight for the right to a clean environment. Companies
need to be prevented from implementing such laws that give them the leeway to
pollute as they see fit. It is time to require that cleaner forms of energy
need to be used.
The fact that the North Carolina legislature is fighting to pass a bill that will contaminate ground water all the way up to property lines is sickening. The legislature is just asking for more problems, however I’m glad to hear the North Carolina Division of Water Quality is fighting to protect clean water and stop the bill from being passed. It is time for us citizens to fight for what is right and the fact that citizens of North Carolina heath is at risk is not okay. I agree with you Logan that the citizens need to come together and fight for the right of a clean environment. We have seen the devastating effects of water pollution before and it is time to put this bill to an end.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting issue, as there is always both sides to an action in government and business. This "Frankenbill" seems terrible; such unregulated pollution is never OK for anyone, as seen in the devastating effects that coal can have on the environment. I'd like to know, however, the motivation and purpose behind such an extreme legislative measure. Government does not function without a purpose, and it would be worth looking into the reasoning behind the elimination of the coal plant radius law. Was it restricting the plants, in turn hurting energy output? Would the plants have been otherwise closed, leading to job and community loss? I am all for the regulation of plants and would not like to see widespread pollution, but we need to look into what this bill's intended use was before we kill it.
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