FROM THE TAILGATE Sage advice from the trenches
By Ron Jones
Slow Poison
A familiar piece of the infamous propaganda campaigns devised by the Nazis in the fi rst half of the last century is expressed in the theory of the “big lie.” That’s the one where we are instructed to “make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” That strategy proved eff ective for them and has lived on as a sinister piece of the evil legacy they left behind. Nowhere is the “big lie” more alive
and well than when it comes to how we produce our electrical energy. In spite of the compelling information available about the environmental damage and harm to human health caused by generating electricity in coal-fi red plants, we continue to accept the status quo and hardly resist the notion that many more of these poison producers need to be built to keep up with our insatiable demand for electricity. At the center of the deception are those
who play on fear to perpetuate the use of the world’s dirtiest fuel source so they can continue to reap profi ts from antiquated, polluting technologies. One of their favorite tactics is to frame the discussion of how we move away from dependence on coal to cleaner, more modern energy sources as an all or nothing shift. That allows them to exploit the arguments that alternative energy cannot meet all of our demand for electricity immediately and therefore it should be dismissed entirely. They know as well as anyone that the
transition will take time. Progress is made in single steps not in fell swoops, but fear is easy to exploit, and when it is served with
48 GreenBuilder October 2010
a helping of apathy it can be a powerful deterrent to even small steps. Unfortunately, many consumers are apathetic enough to simply allow business as usual to prevail, as long as they don’t have to see or hear about the dark side. A recent study has released fi ndings
identifying almost 40 new coal ash dump sites (that pollute drinking water with lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals) in more than 20 states that have been added to the existing list of 98 known sites bringing the total to 137 in 34 states. Up to now, the coal lobby has been able to prevent federal regulation of coal ash waste from power plants even though the threat to human health is widely seen as very real. The EPA is conducting a public comment
period through November 19, including hearings that were scheduled in seven cities in September. The coal industry continues to lobby for state by state oversight of coal ash, but environmental groups, citing the fact
that contamination from heavy metals has exceeded federal drinking water standards at every site with monitoring wells, that the states are not protecting the public. This is but one battle in the war on the
big lie. Coal producers will do everything in their power to prolong the use of their poison. They will tease everyone with false promises of “clean coal,” and they will exploit every possible leverage to perpetuate fears over costs, jobs, or the economy. They will pour millions of dollars into the pockets of politicians to prevent more regulation of their toxic industry. Meanwhile, every rooftop in America is a
potential power producer. Sure, we are a long way from creating a built environment that produces all of the energy it takes to satisfy its users, but we can progress toward a time when we can put the lid back on the poison and enjoy clean, abundant energy that does not threaten to destroy our environment or our health. GB
www.greenbuildermag.com
James Kegley
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