Coal Ash No Reason to Elevate Environmentalists
Monday’s copy of the local state organ, the Charlotte Observer, brings us another story about how the “environmentalists” are ‘pulling their hair out distraught’ about Duke Power’s coal ash. In fact, the fawning by reporters over what any self proclaimed environmentalist might have to say bad about how Duke is such a poor steward of the land can only result in bemusement.
Who are these environmentalists? What are their qualifications? Who put them in charge? Is Hartwell Carson, the French Broad Riverkeeper, a relation of Tom Bombadil? Why do these people hate Duke Power? More exactly, why do they hate power producers in general?
Fifty plus years of living within Duke Power’s power production and distribution system have taught me a few things about Duke Power. One is that Duke tries to treat the environment as if their employees live here. The next is they keep pricing relatively low. Another is they deliver consistent service, although they are not always as customer friendly as one might wish. AHHHHH. But they burn coal and fuse uranium, along with damming the rivers to produce electric power. For this sin, the environmentalists would place a pox on Duke and all its employees, even as they use the electricity and the products it provides. Which brings me back to the environmentalists.
Let us be clear. Duke has maintained ash holding facilities for decades. Their record, in general, is excellent. Do they make mistakes? Yes. No one else does, which allows those whose proclivity it is to point fingers and agitate, room to cast their stones.
Let us also be clear. Earlier in the pogrom against Duke’s ash holding facilities, the proposal was made that the Mountain Island ash might be moved to a location at the Charlotte airport. Personally, I’m not fond of moving the ash, I would want to know many pros and cons before moving it by truck, across the highways, because that project would be very expensive, and would disturb the ash. For what end, what would it improve? Anyway, that’s me. But the self-proclaimed river keepers objected, telling all who would listen that the water from the airport drains into the Catawba River, so if the ash was put their the river would still be at risk. Well DUH. Did all river keeper types drop out of high school? (It’s a rhetorical question.) There is not a place on dry land where the rain water doesn’t run downhill into a creek or a river. Of course the Catawba is down stream from the airport. One begins to believe these river keepers don’t know that water runs downhill.
The point is these self-proclaimed advocates have, hopefully, good intentions. But they are not the only people who are concerned about the environment, and they seem intent on proving they are probably far from the most informed. They are just loud and the press helps them out by giving them a forum.
Would that the press was so kind to taxpayers.
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