Sixteen tons...

Most US coal plants are contaminating groundwater with toxins, analysis finds

Almost every coal-fired power plant in the US is contaminating groundwater with unsafe levels of toxic pollution, according to the first comprehensive analysis of the consequences of coal ash waste disposal.

Of the 265 US power plants that monitor groundwater, 242 have reported unsafe levels of at least one pollutant derived from coal ash, which is the remnants of coal after it is burned for energy. More than half such facilities report unsafe levels of arsenic, a carcinogen linked to multiple types of cancer, with 60% finding elevated lithium, which is associated with neurological damage.

In all, nine out of every 10 coal plants with reportable data have tainted nearby groundwater with at least one coal ash pollutant, with a majority having unsafe levels of at least four different toxins.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/04/us-coal-plants-contaminating-groundwater-toxins-analysis


But wait, there's more... (from the same article):



Spurred by disasters such as that at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee, where a containment dike ruptured in 2008 and spilled ash that smothered a huge area resulting in several hundred dead or sickened people, the Obama administration moved to tighten the regulations around the disposal of coal ash.

The so-called Coal Ash Rule, introduced in 2015, required power companies to monitor groundwater from wells near ash dumps and make the data public. Since May 2018, information from more than 550 individual coal ash ponds has been made available.

These regulations were eased, however, by the Trump administration. In July, the Environmental Protection Agency extended by 18 months the time that industry can use unlined coal ash ponds for dumping. The move would “provide states and utilities much-needed flexibility in the management of coal ash” and save utility companies as much as $31m a year, according to Andrew Wheeler, confirmed as EPA administrator this week.

Yes, you are correct this time. I did not read the article. I know coal is not good for the environment, and, since you're the one who posted it, I didn't read it.

I did play Tennessee Ernie's song though. It was one of my dad's favorite songs of all time.
Thanks for posting it.

:DI didn't want to give you a heart attack.

I have to admit, even though I completely worship Willie Nelson, that Tennessee Ernie made me yearn for the good old days when even country music stars respected their audiences enough to dress neatly when they walked onto a stage to perform a concert.
Tshirts are for crawling under the hood of a car to repair it. If somebody pays you $120 to see you on a stage, you could at least wear a button down shirt.
And women singers should at least cover their asses.
I may be a prude, but I just won't listen to anybody sing if their boobs and butts aren't properly covered.