A report issued last month from Abt Associates, an environmental
consulting firm used by the Bush Administration, found that
Pennsylvania leads the country in premature deaths from power plant
pollution with 1,825. The Pittsburgh area, with 563 annual deaths,
ranks third highest in metropolitan areas, eclipsed only by
significantly larger populations in New York City and Chicago. The
total number of lives shortened by coal plant pollution nationally,
23,600, is greater than drunk driving fatalities or homicides.
“Each cross on the Elrama ball field represents a life cut short
by power plant pollution,” said Chris Miller, Greenpeace Clean
Energy Now! Campaigner. “These deaths could have been prevented by
moving away from dirty power plants like Elrama and investing in
clean energy like wind and solar, which have no negative health
impacts and emit no global warming pollution. These technologies,
especially wind power, are affordable now, and Pennsylvania could
be a true leader in the wind energy market. Politically, it should
be beyond the pale to continue to support dirty power like coal –
we need to phase out this and all other fossil fuel energy sources
and have all future power demands met by renewable energy.”
Instead of prioritizing investment in pollution-free renewable
energy, the Bush administration has systematically weakened clean
air laws by allowing coal-fired power plants to continue to release
tons of pollutants into our air and waterways. Many of the area’s
power plants were under investigation by the Justice Department for
violating the Clean Air Act – investigations that were dropped by
the Bush administration. In addition to its negative impacts on
health, dirty energy wreaks havoc on the environment, causing
global warming, acid rain, and smog.
“Greenpeace’s Clean Energy Now! Campaign calls on all
presidential candidates to commit to a plan within the first 100
days in office that will insure that 20 percent of the nation’s
energy comes from renewable sources by 2020 and that will include
substantial investment in solar power. This will not only improve
the environment and lower health costs associated from dirty power,
but it will also create good, well paying domestic jobs that our
economy craves.
Greenpeace also used the event to
highlight renewable energy as a viable alternative to
Pennsylvania’s dirty power facilities. The group showcased its
Rolling Sunlight solar demonstration vehicle outside the ball
field. “There’s no reason why people must continue to suffer from
life shortening particulate emissions, mercury poisoning, asthma
attacks and global warming pollution from dirty energy like coal
when clean energy is available now,” said Rolling Sunlight driver
Angie McIntosh, as she displayed the vehicle’s solar
capabilities.