Coal. It’s dirty and unsustainable: the first and foremost air polluter in the U.S. Why, then, are there plans to build an 800-megawatt coal generator in Rutherford County’s Cliffside Coal Plant? The new Duke Energy generator would use conventional, pulverized coal technology.
Such technology does not allow for capture of carbon dioxide and emits a variety of other dangerous pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide and mercury.
Not to mention, coal requires millions of gallons of water to operate and creates detrimental solid waste. According to the National Resources Defense Council, “The term ‘clean coal’ is like saying safe cigarettes.â€
So what are coal’s redeeming qualities: its affordability? According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, wind power will be cheaper than coal by 2010 due to coal’s sky-high carbon dioxide emissions. It is estimated that, if built, construction on the new plant will be finished in 2010 and will run for about 30 years. Therefore, not only does the building of new coal plants create a huge environmental risk, it also creates financial vulnerability. Even if the Cliffside plant can employ NC citizens, how long will these jobs last before coal can no longer compete with cleaner, alternative energy sources? Approving new coal plants will lock us further into decades of dependency on coal. Duke Energy supplies more than 160,000 people in the Triangle with energy. Why not run our cities on clean energy with more economic and environmental longevity than coal?
Join citizens across the state: call Governor Easley or Duke Energy on November 15th to tell them that coal will not cut it. A 30-second call could stop 30 years of coal’s pollution.
Erin Shigekawa
Governor’s Office:
Phone: 1-800-662-7952, (919)733-4240, or (919)733-5811 Email:
governor@ncmail.net
Duke Energy Office:
Phone: (704) 594-6200 (Corporate Office)
Jim Rogers Direct Line: (704) 382-1087
https://mdenote1.duke-energy.com/custweb/email.nsf/Contact?OpenForm=OpenForm