Thursday, July 25, 2013

double bubble scrubber trouble


Of the 274 coal plants that discharge coal ash and scrubber wastewater into waterways, nearly 70 percent (188) have no limits on the toxics most commonly found in these discharges (arsenic, boron, cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium) that are dumped directly into rivers, lakes, streams and bays.
Of these 274 coal plants, more than one-third (102) have no requirements to monitor or report discharges of these toxic metals to government agencies or the public.
A total of 71 coal plants surveyed discharge toxic water pollution into rivers, lakes, streams and bays that have already been declared impaired due to poor water quality. Of these plants that are dumping toxic metals into impaired waterways, more than three out of four coal plants (59) have no permit that limits the amount of toxic metals it can dump.
Nearly half of the coal plants surveyed (187) are operating with an expired Clean Water Act permit. 53 of these power plants are operating with permits that expired five or more years ago.
An update to the above: A number of environmental sites are pissed, it appears the White House stepped in and weakened some of the fixes for these ongoing disasters.  Starting to wonder if Obama is going to help us or the coal industry.

So much for being protected by industry, what's the saying, they would never do anything to hurt their own customers.  And it sounds like mean old industry hating government isn't exactly putting the thumb screws on these guys as they further damage our health.  --------------------------
Elsewhere, while you were distracted by Faux snews: The recent farm bill passed was found to have a sentence hidden in it from Huelskamp a Kansas Tea Bagger who a few months ago caused such a stink with Boehner he was stripped of his committee seats.  It states that the coal burner planned (and stalled for a decade) in western Kansas is exempt from EPA rules.  How I pine for a presidential line item veto like the GOP gov of Kansas has. I call Huelskamp's office sometimes, he is the only congressman or senator I have ever called who's secretaries and staff immediately confront you rather than listen.  After a rant against wind energy, that it does not work, it's a hoax, and the Siemens wind turbine factory (a billion $ a year purchasing budget) is in his district, and he wish's it would leave  I called, it wasn't pretty, the women tore into me right away with his line of shit.  He is expected to easily win the next election.

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