Dirty Coal Pollution Is Making Us Sick

[Rick Rowlands]

http://www.hulu.com/watch/229371/coal-the-master-mines

In Dennis' world, these people don't matter.  Their communities should die, their livelihoods should be stripped away.

[Rick Rowlands]

It's freaking amazing that humanity survived with all that coal smoke in the air!   In 1940 everyone's home burned coal.  Yes, twenty thousand little coal fires here in Youngstown.  In 1940 there were 40,000 steam locomotives in operation.  Thousands of ships at sea all burning coal, factories burning carload after carload of black diamnods 24/7.

And we're supposed to become alarmed that a few hundred power plants, most with high tech scrubbers, are still burning coal.  Please!     Here, take a look at a few pictures of what it used to be like to live in the US. 


http://www.steamlocomotive.com/bigboy/4004.jpg
http://sustainabledesignupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/coal-smoke.jpg
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h61000/h61218.jpg

[irishbobcat]

Pollution from burning oil and coal produces a host of serious, life-threatening health problems for our families and communities, inflicting children with asthma, stifling childhood development and cutting short thousands of lives. Oil and Coal are also destroying our nation's economic health. By tying us to dirty 19th century energy sources and outdated technology, these corporate polluters are putting their profit margins before our economy, safety and health.

Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency exists to enforce much needed safeguards to keep polluters from making us sick. In the 40 years since Americans demanded its creation, the EPA has saved millions of lives by enforcing clean air and water standards. More than 1.7 million asthma attacks and $110 billion in health costs were avoided in 2010 alone thanks to the agency's efforts.

The nation's physical and economic well-being depends on passing and enforcing strong standards to protect people's health.