FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 19, 2009
Media Contact:
Mark C. Bruce
Santee RIVERKEEPER®
Riverkeeper@SanteeRiverkeeper.org
http://www.SanteeRiverkeeper.org
SCDHEC Decision Makers - Not Online With Clean Energy
North Santee, SC - With South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control's (DHEC) decision to grant Santee Cooper an air permit to operate a planned coal-fired generating plant near Florence is a sure sign the board is not taking a holistic view of a plant's impact on the local environment and especially the impact of the plant emitting millions of tons of Carbon dioxide into the atmosphere of which is believed to be the major contributor of Green House Gases. Mark Bruce, Santee Riverkeeper said, "We must think more about the long term ramifications of the operation of these coal fired plants. All in all, Santee Cooper is good at burning coal. That's what they know how to do. They have blueprints for the construction of the plants. I suggest they start thinking outside of the box and take a leadership role not only locally but nationally to seek alternative methods. I humbly suggest that they seek other alternative means of producing cleaner electricity. The Santee River Basin contains at least three coal fired plants: Cross, Jefferies, and Wateree. The damaging effects of these plants not only include carbon dioxide emissions but also include copper, mercury, and arsenic, to name a few. Mercury bio-accumulates within the fish here in the Santee River Basin as a direct result of the operation of coal-fired plants; and people from what I've heard just don't eat the fish anymore. Most of the lower part of the state and some parts of the upper part of the state have already exceeded the total maximum daily loads (TMDL's) for some if not all monitored toxic substances related to power plant emissions. Fish consumption advisories due to mercury dot the South Carolina landscape in red on the reports issued by DHEC itself. The writing is on the wall and right now it's a political one when it should be one of environmental consciousness.
For more information, visit http://wewantthetruth.org call 803-445-7701, or email the Riverkeeper at Riverkeeper@SanteeRiverkeeper.org.
Media Contact:
Mark C. Bruce
Santee RIVERKEEPER®
Riverkeeper@SanteeRiverkeeper.org
http://www.SanteeRiverkeeper.org