EPA challenges to coal waste risks, stirs activism - while Corzine and Obama target energy reform
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In the United States an estimated 122-129 million tons of coal ash waste is generated per year. In 2006, New Jersey alone contributed 10.7 million tons of CO2 that made up an estimated 8.7% of the state's total CO2 emissions. As energy consumption increases, energy efficiency standards have been brought to the forefront of the economic policy making strategy by President Obama. Policymakers will therefore need to set a goal to promote a energy campaign that will educate and prepare communities for a comprehensive energy package that should intelligently reform the US’s coal legislation. Citizens will need to modify their behavior to help eliminate the country's dependence on coal and acceptance of new technology and design to support our long term energy needs.
Governor Corzine has already presented a strategy for the state to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with an energy plan rolled out in 2006. The plan outlines strategies to clean up power plants, expand renewable energy sources, eliminate carbon from electric sources by 2050, and legislation that requires efficiency standards for buildings while incorporating renewable energy by 2030. The physical siege that can be found in byproducts of carbon coal waste effects promote global warming trends that impact coastal cities and towns such as, Altantic City and the Jersery Shore. This one aspect of Corzine's energy plan that has not included in his energy plan is the increased risk from climate-induced rises in sea levels - a sombering reality of the effects of global warming not only on NJ but also for the US coastline in general.
Unfortunately, efforts to modify our energy dependence from coal has been a very polarizing debate. However, an open discussion is needed since coal waste promotes significant health, and the environmental risks as a result of the toxic levels of cancer causing chemicals ,and metals released during the surface mining process (and related coal processing procedures)
The challenge is to change the entrenched energy legislation, and coal mining industry’s influence in Washington, while working to reduce, and or prevent the hazardous contamination of the ecology effect from carbon coal waste. Right now there are many complexities to these challenges, and no quick solutions to expedite the energy reform needed today. Coal plays an integral role in US energy policy, with government statistics reporting over 1 billion tons of coal used for
electric power in 2007. However the risk of human
exposure to carbon coal waste pathways is more prolific, when compared to our demand for coal. The risks identified by the EPA in
groundwater-to-drinking water pathways provide proof of the greater risks found when carbon coal waste is leaked into streams, wetlands, soil, coal waste landfills, and surface storage units that lead to contaminatiion of our water and food supply.
Just this week the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had to step in, to act on coal ash waste that was impacting the water quality of the wetlands, and streams in West Virginia and Kentucky -a result of a surface mining procedure called mountaintop minining. Where they blast mountain peaks for the purpose of mining coal.
The increased discomfort with the effects of carbon coal waste reflects in the
EPA’s decision to better monitor, and examine the impact that it has on the environment. Previously a lack of adequate monitoring by the Bush administration fostered an increase in substantiated cases of severe degradation of streams, soil and wetlands by coal ash in nine states.
Beyond economics, NJ, along with other states, (especially the coal producing states), the EPA, and the Obama administration need to continue to follow through on the energy, and environmental policies that create significant impact on the regulatory thresholds that help eliminate carbon coal waste in the US. With the use of efficient energy technology, and design, Americans can forgo their substantive dependence on coal without regret.
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EPA challenges to coal waste risks, stirs activism - while Corzine and Obama target energy reform
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