skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Dozens of CA events this weekend honor Latino Conservation Week; Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event; Report finds poor working conditions in Texas clean energy industry; AI puts on a lab coat, heads to technical schools.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

A Coal-Free Washington?

play audio
Play

Thursday, November 19, 2009   

SEATTLE - A Sierra Club spokesman says his organization will use new study results from Physicians for Social Responsibility to push for a coal-free state of Washington. On Wednesday, the physicians' group released a report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health." It states that any site where coal is mined or burned to make electricity compromises human health with air pollution.

The report is "coal-fired fuel" for the debate about stronger pollution limits for the TransAlta coal plant in Centralia. The study links coal pollutants like ozone, nitrogen oxide and mercury to serious medical conditions, including asthma, lung cancer, strokes and heart problems.

University of Washington associate professor Steven Gilbert, a toxicologist and director of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders, says children are at the greatest risk of being affected by coal pollution.

"Children are not little adults. They eat more, breathe more, drink more per body weight than adults do, and the impact of health-related exposures is greater on them than on adults."

The Sierra Club sees the health report as one more reason for Washington to aim at becoming the first coal-free state. Although only one coal plant operates in Washington now, the group says it is the largest source of mercury pollution in the state and is already the subject of complaints to federal agencies for the haze it creates.

The state is negotiating with the company, but Doug Howell, manager of the Sierra Club Coal-Free Northwest campaign, says the tentative agreement doesn't go far enough to reduce mercury or nitrogen oxide emissions.

"We had a letter from 17 organizations complaining about the agreement. We're hoping now that this has been enough of a strong signal that the governor's going to slow down and reevaluate the substance of this agreement, to see if we can do better."

A public comment period on the tentative agreement ended this month. The Washington Department of Ecology says it received about 2,000 comments and expects to finalize the agreement early next year. TransAlta has said that using new technology to reduce emissions would be too expensive.

A link to the report is at www.CoalFreeNorthwest.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday marks the International Day of Peace and the advocacy group Nonviolent Peaceforce is kicking off a series of family-friendly events in M…

Environment

play sound

Latino Conservation Week is in full swing, with 330 events across the U.S. and 90 in California alone. The 11th annual event runs through Sunday…


Nebraska is one of 10 states to confirmed abortion-related constitutional amendment measures on the ballot in November. (Alcorn Imagery/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Some ballot initiatives this year have taken more than voter signatures to get onto the ballot in Nebraska. They've already withstood major court …

Social Issues

play sound

A new federal proposal to protect workers from extreme heat is being hailed as a potential lifesaver by labor advocates, even as Florida faces …

A clean energy industry advocacy report found nonunion workers are often paid less, incur more job-related injuries and receive fewer benefits than unionized employees. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new study showed as Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind turbine and solar energy installations, clean energy workers often face …

play sound

Students enrolled at Wisconsin's technical colleges this fall might take a course where artificial intelligence is the star of the classroom…

Social Issues

play sound

Early voting begins today in Minnesota and the state has implemented policy moves with the intent of making voting easier. Nonpartisan civic …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021