LETTER: There are better choices for Salem plant site

GateHouse Media, Inc. Posted:  12/09/2013  

The Salem coal plant is closing in May. Hooray!

Oops! A New Jersey corporation, betting on a windfall profit, has submitted applications to build a $800 million gas plant on the site.

Local residents should know that this oversized plant is not necessary. The small shortfall in power can be met by a mix of distributed energy — small installations which send their extra power back to the grid — and by demand management like off-peak pricing and smart-grid technology.

The gas plant emits 2.5 million tons of greenhouse gases per year into the atmosphere, it will emit a low-level noise, and it is large — the stack is shorter but wider than the previous coal plant. And worse, this gas plant will emit tiny particulates into the air, which end up deep in human lungs and cause a wide range of lung diseases, according to the EPA.

Large, expensive and potentially dangerous high-pressure  gas lines must be installed to provide the fuel. The gas in these oversized new pipes will be piped from states where lax regulations allow the poisoning of drinking water and streams from toxic chemicals used in fracking. Nor do regulations prevent large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from escaping into the air.

Commissioner Norris of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stated in Boston last week that the energy sector is in a crucial time and that the systemic transformation of this sector should be undertaken thoughtfully. Building huge, long-term generators for a short-term solution is not the way to safe and sustainable energy future.  Salem’s neighbors should speak out for a better choice for this site rather than saddling the next generation with 40 more years of fossil-fuel emissions in a world already suffering the effects of fossil-fuel extraction leading to climate disruption and dirty air. — Lynn Nadeau, Surf Street

A Report from the Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Interesting even if you’re not from NY.  There are some good summaries (with references) of the science related to environmental exposures and various children’s health effects, e.g. asthma, birth defects, cancers, developmental disorders and obesity.

Similar in scope to EPA’s America’s Children and the Environment,with a few twists, including estimates of economic impacts and a recommendation for a statewide PEHSU-type network funded by NY State Department of Health.

Thanks to Maryann Suero, US EPA, for posting.

Urban gardening: Managing the risks of contaminated soil. In cities around the globe, gardeners and farmers are digging into backyards and vacant lots, replacing blighted eyesores with lush, productive vegetation. These urban soils are often heavily contaminated, prompting questions about potential health consequences. Environmental Health Perspectives, November-December 2013 | Volume 121 | Issue 11-12

Either change the system or risk another “Silent Spring”Environmental Defense Fund (blog).  In her 1962 book Silent Spring, Carson described the harmful effects of synthetic pesticides and cautioned us that the indiscriminate use of these compounds ...

Toxins in Our Bodies

Industrial hygienist and chemist Monona Rossol discusses a study showing that rich people and poor people have different toxic substances in their bodies. She's the author of Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia Is Making Lab Rats of Us All.

WNYC The Leonard Lopate Show

Mounting microplastic pollution harms 'earthworms of the sea': Report. Tiny bits of plastic rubbish ingested by marine worms are significantly harming their health and will have a wider impact on ocean ecosystems, scientists have found. The Guardian 
http://bit.ly/1g21m7n

Hydrogen Fluoride – A Toxic Chemical in Your Neighborhood?
by Leeann Sinpatanasakul, 11/19/2013

http://bit.ly/1bYLxZF 

Center for Effective Government  Across the nation, 167 industrial facilities currently store & use hydrogen fluoride, a dangerous and highly toxic gas. But what is it? And is it in your neighborhood?

...Safer alternatives to hydrogen fluoride exist for use in oil and gas refineries. However, it seems most companies will not adopt these safer alternatives voluntarily, despite the fact that millions of residents could be harmed by explosions. The Center for Effective Government continues to urge the EPA to use its authority to issue new guidance on the regulation of hydrogen fluoride and hundreds of other toxic chemicals stored at facilities situated near residential communities. Concerned citizens should examine our map of these facilities to see if their communities are at risk and advocate for safer alternatives. You can also make your voices heard by signing a petition asking the EPA to issue new guidelines.

Louisiana Environmental Action Network

E-Alert: Louisiana's Dirty 100 Orphaned Oil & Gas Wells

The "Dirty 100" are the 100 orphaned wells that are ranked as having the highest priority for the need of permanent plugging. They are leaking oil or Natural Gas, are currently causing an environmental problem and may also present a hazard or concern to human health and safety. These wells are orphaned wells, which means that the well's operator of record is no longer a viable responsible party. In other words, the companies that extracted minerals from the wells no longer exist so the responsibility of dealing with the wells now rests on the State of Louisiana. The State of Louisiana charges the Oil and Gas industry a fee of one and one-half cents ($.015) for every barrel of oil and condensate produced, and three-tenths of one cent ($.003) for every thousand cubic feet of gas produced which goes to the states Orphaned Well Program . This allows the Louisiana Orphaned Well Program to deal with approximately 160 wells per year. There are currently 2820 wells identified as orphaned wells in need of permanent plugging in the State of Louisiana.

Read more.