A new report released by The Wilderness Society explores the current coal industry, Trump’s support for coal, and the harm that comes from mining coal on public land. “False Promises” delves into the issues surrounding mining coal in western states and the resulting environmental burden on the communities that burn the coal. Four communities searching for cleaner and healthier alternatives to coal are profiled in the report, one of those being the C.P. Crane Generating Station in Baltimore, Maryland.
The C.P. Crane Station sits on a 156-acre peninsula between the Gunpowder and Bird rivers. The C.P. Crane Station has tremendous negative effects on the water quality in the area. A majority of this pollution originates from ash that is flushed from inside the burners into the waterways. Among the released contaminants are mercury, arsenic, and selenium. Pollutants such as these harm and destroy the essential aquatic plant life in addition to the local marine life. Crabs and fish can no longer be sourced from these waters due to their high levels of contamination.
Currently, the C.P. Crane Generating Station runs only at peak-use times. Yet coal mined on public lands in western states like Colorado is continually shipped across the country, out to the plant. Fortunately, the trend away from coal and towards renewables is being seen nationally as renewables and fracked gas are economically competitive with coal. President Trump continues to support the coal industry, but wind, solar and fracked gas are often cheaper and more efficient forms of energy. In fact, the renewable energy sector is growing at a rate 12 times faster than the U.S. economy. Coal is over, but the next step is to provide assistance to the western communities that are negatively affected by the declining coal industry. It is the hope that the federal government will facilitate and embrace this change rather than continue with the false promises.
Click here to read the full Wilderness Society report: http://bit.ly/FPreport
If you are interested in learning about another coal power plant creating similar issues for the surrounding environment, consider joining the MD Sierra Club on our upcoming hike on August 13th to view the Chalk Point Generating Station. Click here to register!