Take Action — Dirty Coal Exports Threaten Paducah and the Ohio River!

 

Less than a year after Paducah residents defeated a similar proposal, Southern Coal is trying again to exploit the Ohio River to export massive amounts of dirty coal out-of-state and overseas. Their new trick — moving the proposed site a short distance down the river in an attempt to avoid zoning hurdles and thwart the will of the people.

A new report shows the Ohio River leads the nation in toxic discharges and this terminal threatens to make that worse — impacting the health of local communities, our air, and our waterways. We won an amazing victory last year when hundreds of residents spoke out in opposition to coal exports, leading to a rejection of the rezoning proposal tied to the project. Now we need your help again.

Tell the Army Corps of Engineers — No Dirty Coal Terminal in Paducah!

1. Complete the form below with your information.
2. Personalize your message if you wish.
3. Click the Send Your Message button to send your message to: Robert J. Brown, Army Corps of Engineers

 

FOLLOW LINK ABOVE TO PETITION ONLINE!

Does LG&E have an invisible force field around Cane Run landfill?

 

Does LG&E have an invisible force field around Cane Run landfill?

LG&E Cane Run Plant

Following the release of the video yesterday by Cane Run residents showing coal ash billowing out of their sludge processing plant at the Cane Run coal ash landfill, LG&E provided this amazing statement to the Courier-Journal’s James Bruggers:

“Such a dust build-up is not an unusual occurrence and does not pose a hazard. At no time do we believe any dust went off our property. We believe we were in compliance with applicable standards at all time.”

The Cane Run residents across the street will attest that “such a dust build-up is not an unusual occurrence” is a factual statement. But it didn’t leave their property? In the video below, it should be noted that the fence you see directly in front of the billowing dust is where LG&E’s property line ends:

Unless LG&E has been secretly investing in invisible force field technology… that seems like a bit of a stretch. Especially since testing done on the homes across the street shows that they are covered in fly ash.

APCD spokesman Thomas Nord hasn’t gotten back to us yet on our inquiry as to whether this is physically possible, assuming modern physics and technology is as we assume. But he did give us this statement, saying that they are not done monitoring LG&E’s plant, regardless of the settlement agreed to yesterday:

The penalty payment and compliance plan only involve the two notices of violation that we issued in 2011. We’re not necessarily done with the Cane Run situation. APCD will be back out there to investigate as long as the residents feel there are still dust problems.

So there you go. The billion dollar corporation might very well face another $20,000 fine in 2012, which I’m sure has LG&E shaking in their boots, as we speak.

Posted by jsonka on April 19, 2012 at 2:12 pm.

greedy coal companies aren’t too happy about the EPA proposal

Have you heard? The EPA just announced a plan to protect our health by limiting dirty soot, smog, toxic mercury, and carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants like the LG&E Cane Run and Mill Creek plants, the Shawnee plant in Paducah, and the Paradise Plant in Muhlenburg County.

This is great news for us, since coal plants are responsible for most of the air pollution that causes asthma and threatens Kentuckians’ health. They also contribute to mining that increasingly threatens Kentucky communities and the natural beauty of our state. Unfortunately, greedy coal companies aren’t too happy about the EPA proposal. They’re filling the airways with ads attacking the EPA to stop any progress toward cleaning our air and safeguarding our health.¹

We need to make sure that everyone knows the truth: the EPA’s new proposal will protect our health, create jobs, and fight climate change.

Get the truth out in your community. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper!

We all try hard to keep our kids safe and healthy — making sure they buckle their seatbelts, eat fruits and vegetables, and floss before bed. But right now we can’t protect them from the dirty soot, smog, and toxic mercury spewing out from coal plants — and every year thousands of children suffer asthma attacks in Kentucky.

With the EPA’s new proposal we will have the chance to protect our kids from asthma. We can’t let Big Coal’s attack campaign take this opportunity away from us. This is one of our best opportunities to reduce demand for toxic coal and retire dirty coal plants like LG&E’s Cane Run that pollute our communities and endanger our health.

Write a letter to the editor to your local paper and make sure the EPA has the support it needs to protect our health!

It’s easy! We’ve got everything you need to get started: talking points, factsheets, tips on writing a letter, and info on how to submit it. We even have folks who will give you a call to answer any questions you may have.

Our kids don’t deserve to suffer the effects of Big Coal’s pollution. Take five minutes to write a letter to the editor and make sure they won’t have to any longer.

Thanks for all you do to protect our environment,

Thomas Pearce,
Beyond Coal Campaign
Sierra Club

P.S. After you take action, please forward this message!

References

1. New ACCCE Ad Campaign Highlights Coal’s Abundance & Affordability, American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy.

 

Stop Dirty Coal Pollution: Write A Letter To The Editor