SHE WON'T GO!
From the Kentucky Environmental Foundation and the Sierra Club comes this troubling news (PDF):
After the U.S. House of Representatives voted to attack federal authority on toxic coal ash standards, Kentucky environmental, health and economic justice groups are asking Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul to support the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to implement standards that would better protect public health and reduce chronic diseases.In a letter to U.S. Senators, sent last week, 183 groups from all 50 states asked the Senate to vote “no” on budget continuing resolution riders that would defund the EPA’s work on coal ash standards. The Energy Information Agency calculates that coal power plants in Kentucky generate 8.6 million tons of coal waste each year, that is accumulating in 44 coal ash impoundments and continually release toxic mercury, selenium, arsenic and hexavalent chromium into our water and food chain. Seven of these coal ash sites have been designated as “high hazard” by EPA, which means that a break in the impoundment would result in significant environmental damage, illnesses or deaths.
Obviously Kentuckians concerned about pesky things like “toxic” coal ash have a tough row to hoe (or would that be a tough mountaintop to blow?) in convincing Sens. McConnell & Paul that regular people’s lives (and liberties) need protecting… so the question becomes, who in the House voted for it?
Well, says KEF and the Sierra Club:
All of Kentucky’s U.S. Representatives but Louisville’s Representative Yarmuth supported a rider to defund the EPA on coal ash regulations, citing budget concerns. However health costs associated with illness from soot and other pollutants from coal plants are estimated by the National Research Council in 2010 to roughly $62 billion per year.
Yup.
Ben Chandler voted to defund the EPA’s toxic coal ash regulations.
You can find more information through the Kentucky Environmental Foundation and you can read all about Ben Chandler’s explanation for why he doesn’t care about toxic coal ash regulations from this sharply worded and deeply informative press release.
KentuckyElection.org
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY
