enviornment

I find myself compelled to different degrees by both sides of the argument on this issue. Generally I support something that offers economic development, particularly if it doesn’t do so by just giving tax-breaks to corporations which is just bad long-term policy. It’s also ironic that a year after fighting to keep all of North Carolina’s bases we are now saying we don’t want expansions of some of said bases and new facilities. All that said I’m also a conservationist and would never advocate something that had a major negative impact on fragile wetland environments or agricultural jobs which are the foundation of our State (that’s the State as an entity not just the economy). But this all leaves me wondering, ‘Are these really the only options?’

The North Carolina Public Interest Research Group released a study this week which places North Carolina second, behind Ohio, for the highest level of power plant pollutants released into the air in 2004. Come on, Progress. Come on Duke. We can do better. Number 2 is the first loser, right guys?

The 65-page report is long on detail and begins,

Every day in America, industrial facilities release millions of pounds of toxic substances into the nation’s air and water. Many Americans – especially those who live in close proximity to industrial facilities –harbor deep concern about how those toxic releases may affect their health.

Harbor deep concern about those toxic releases affecting their health. Go figure. I mean, it's not like we have County Commissioners and power companies making secret deals to build just such industrial facilities upwind from cities... oh, wait, here in Buncombe County we do. And it is not like industry would lie about their ambitions and facts about their pollution... oh wait, they do that too.