Accolades to the Dayton Daily News for publishing Mercury Emissions Up in U.S. on Thursday March 18, 2010!
Coal fired electric power and steel plant emissions release the majority of pollution responsible for health problems ranging from asthma, COPD, and cancer to possible mental disabilities in the case of mercury (Hg). The health care costs stemming from coal emissions runs into billions of dollars while increasing death rates especially in the vulnerable young and elderly. The combustion of coal produces a wide array of toxic by-products in addition to Hg. The only significant non-toxic product is carbon dioxide (CO2). Not only is CO2 innocuous, it is an essential nutrient for plant growth. The increased CO2 is responsible for increased crop production that helps limit the number of hungry and starving people around the world.
Ironically CO2 has been labeled a toxic pollutant based on the work of a few rogue scientists at the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit (CRU) and the UN’s IPCC who declared CO2 was responsible for what they labeled “anthropogenic global warming” (AGW). When it appeared, the planet was not warming, but indeed cooling over the last several years, the terminology was conveniently changed to “climate change”. Fortunately last year intercepted emails between the cohorts resulted in the unraveling of the AGW hoax. As a result it is currently more accurately referred to as “climate-gate” with admissions, confessions and concessions coming from the primary investigators, the UN IPCC, along with its star propagandist Al Gore. Given these facts, rational leaders in the EPA and the Department Of Energy could be expected to drop the multi-billion (trillion) dollar projects dealing with CO2 emissions and Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) to pursue the truly toxic coal emissions such as mercury. Although the EPA has failed to set emission standards for mercury as mandated by the Clean Air Act of 1990, they are feverishly pursuing CO2 emissions under the direction of Secretary of Energy Chu who continues to support limitations on CO2 and provides funding for CCS. Of all of the components of the “Cap and Trade” bill, CCS is by far the most flawed based on government research in that it increases toxic fossil fuel emissions by 30-40% and presents unknown environmental hazards in its own right at costs that would add to our burgeoning national debt.
In line with Secretary Chu’s leadership, the EPA has attempted to tax cows for their CO2 emissions, driving up the price of milk necessary to feed children and the hungry. In effect, these policies, however inadvertent, are designed to kill us by the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat while simultaneously starving crops by limiting the CO2 and taxing the very milk our children drink. Is our assessment of the situation illusionary and hyperbolic? We believe an open debate is necessary, before Congress takes any further action on “Cap and Trade” which will only transfer more work to China and other countries that provide minimal healthcare and unsafe mining standards. In spite of its Beijing smog, China adds one to two coal fired plants per month that shower our “Cap and Trade” California congressmen with increasing levels of atmospheric mercury. They still don’t get it. Perhaps some people never learn. Unfortunately they are in Congress.
Charles E. Reier MD, Rebecca A. Reier
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