[ad_1]
There was a moment in our history when a coal-fired power station was going to be established on our homeland, Ghana. Sunon Asogli, Independent Local Electricity Producer (IPP), a partnership between the Ghanaian tycoon, Torgbe Afede and the Chinese energy group Shenzhen Energy Group (SEG) announced the construction of a 700 MW coal-fired power plant in Ghana.
The question is: how was Sunon Asogli so close to achieving his goal when the Ghanaian authorities were aware of the considerable environmental pollution caused by coal-fired power plants around the world?
Fortunately for the younger generations and the unborn children of their children, common sense finally prevailed, and Chinese society and its local partners were forced to drop this idea – after Ghanaian environmental activists protested against the Government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). reject the idea.
Our country and its people were saved from an apocalyptic nightmare that would have ruined many lives until the very end of time – a nightmare similar to that currently experienced by communities in regions where coal-fired power plants were located in the United States, even as we speak.
To understand why those we choose to govern our country must reject the blind pursuit of GDP growth, without considering what really constitutes this growth, today we have selected an article from the British newspaper The Guardian, written by Oliver Milman. It is titled: "Most US coal plants contaminate groundwater with toxins," the badysis concludes.
The planned destruction of part of the Atewa range to exploit bauxite deposits, of poor quality, is an example of the blind pursuit of GDP growth, without taking into account the terrible drawbacks that have a negative impact on human well-being and the long-term stability of Ghanaian society resulting from such economic development.
On behalf of the current generational demographic groups of Ghana and future generations, President Akufo-Addo must be bold and reject the idea of extracting bauxite in the Atewa range. and then announce the ban on any mining in the area. Atewa Forest Reserve. He must then declare the National Park – to preserve us from an existence similar to that of a hell on earth that will result from the destruction of much of the Atewa Forest Reserve. Haaba.
Please read on:
The badysis reveals that most US coal plants contaminate groundwater with toxins
Of the 265 US plants that monitor groundwater, 242 report hazardous levels of at least one pollutant derived from coal ash
Nine coal – fired power plants on which data must be reported have contaminated the groundwater near at least one pollutant of coal ash, the majority of which have hazardous concentrations of at least four. different toxins.
According to the first comprehensive badysis of the consequences of disposal of coal ash waste, almost all coal-fired power plants in the United States contaminate groundwater with dangerous levels of toxic pollution.
Of the 265 US groundwater monitoring facilities, 242 reported unsafe levels of at least one pollutant derived from coal ash, which is leftover coal after combustion. More than half of these facilities report dangerous levels of arsenic, a carcinogen badociated with several types of cancer, with 60% finding a rise in lithium levels, badociated with neurological damage.
In total, nine coal-fired power plants with reportable data polluted the nearby groundwater with at least one pollutant of coal ash, the majority of them with hazardous concentrations of at least four different toxins. .
"Pollution is almost everywhere you look," said Abel Russ, Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) advocate, who compiled the badysis based on reports from power plants. individual. "The main concern is that this could be a problem for decades, if not centuries, because once the pollutants are leached from the ashes of coal in the water, they are difficult to evacuate."
The coal-fired plants included in the badysis account for about three-quarters of all coal-fired plants in the United States, the others having either closed their coal ash dumps or exempted from reporting requirements.
US coal plants produce about 100 million tons of ash each year, of which at least 2 billion tons are stored in pits of different grades. Most coal ash ages and is not covered with a protective substance that would prevent ashes from seeping into the stream.
Under the impulse of disasters such as that of the Kingston HTV fossil production plant in Tennessee, where a containment dam broke in 2008 and spilled ashes that covered a vast area having resulted in several hundred deaths or sick, the Obama administration has tightened the regulations in force. of coal ash.
The "coal ash rule", introduced in 2015, required power companies to monitor groundwater from wells near ash dumps and to make the data public. Since May 2018, information from more than 550 individual coal ash basins is available.
The Trump administration has however relaxed these rules. In July, the Environmental Protection Agency extended the time for the industry to use unsheltered coal ash ponds for dumping for 18 months. This decision would provide "much needed state and utility flexibility in the management of coal ash" and allow utility companies to save up to $ 31 million a year, Andrew Wheeler confirmed. , administrator of the EPA this week.
The widespread pollution spread by coal ash dumps should serve as a "wake up call for the nation," said Lisa Evans, Senior Counsel for Earthjustice, who helped draft the report.
"Using the industry's own data, our report shows that coal-fired power plants poison groundwater almost everywhere they operate," Evans said. "The Trump administration insists on harming American communities by destroying federal protections. They aggravate the situation. "
People taking their water directly from backyard wells are the most exposed to groundwater pollution, although environmentalists argue that allowable levels of some toxins in treated drinking water are too lax and also pose a risk.
A stew of pollutants from coal ash, including cadmium, cobalt, chromium and lead, as well as arsenic and lithium. These toxins are linked to various health problems, including cancers, kidney damage and developmental problems.
According to the EIP report, the most contaminated site is next to the San Miguel plant near San Antonio, Texas. Coal plants in North Carolina, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Maryland, Mississippi and Kentucky complete the list of the 10 worst polluters.
Some states, such as Georgia and Missouri, have taken action to eliminate coal ash deposits, but Ross said the EPA should act much more quickly to ensure their complete elimination.
"We have never really been pleased with the EPA's approach to this, but it's now a coal lobbyist that we're even more skeptical," Russ said, referring to the former job of Wheeler. "In the long run, it will be clear that EPAs need to be stronger and take action, but this is unlikely to happen under this administration."
The EPA has been contacted for a comment.
Since you're here …
… We have a small service to ask. More people are reading and supporting our independent investigative reporting than ever before. And unlike many news agencies, we have chosen an approach that allows us to keep our journalism accessible to everyone, regardless of their place of residence or their means.
The Guardian is editorially independent, which means we define our own agenda. Our journalism is free from commercial bias and is not influenced by billionaire owners, politicians or shareholders. Nobody publishes our publisher. Nobody directs our opinion. This is important because it allows us to give voice to those who are less heard, to challenge the powerful and to hold them accountable. This sets us apart from other media at a time when factual and honest reporting is essential.
Every contribution we receive from readers like you, large or small, contributes directly to the funding of our journalism. This support allows us to continue working as we do, but we need to maintain it and develop it for every year to come. Support The Guardian from $ 1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
© 2019 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliates. All rights reserved."
End of the content gathered on the Guardian's website.
Warning: "The views / contents expressed in this article only imply that the responsibility of the authors) and do not necessarily reflect those of modern Ghana. Modern Ghana can not be held responsible for inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article. "
Reproduction is allowed provided that the authors the authorization is granted.
[ad_2]
Source link
