"Not-So-Clean" Coal in Georgia

You might have already known this but I figured it was worth pointing out. With the three fly ash spills in the past three months, the issue is starting to get some attention. Much of our energy here in Georgia comes from 'not-so-clean' coal of which fly ash is one of the nasty byproducts. The NRDC has done a little research to determine how the state ranks in coal pollution from existing and proposed plants. Not surprisingly, our state is closer to the top of the list than the bottom (and that's not a good thing).

From the NRDC website:

Georgia ranks 11th in the country for contaminated coal waste, with 3,508,910 tons of waste reported to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2005. The state also ranks 7th in toxic metals contaminating its coal waste, with 4,192 tons of toxic metals, based on NRDC estimates.

Check out their website for more details on GA coal power plants.

Also, if you haven't seen the effects of a fly ash spill check out this video on the GreenPeaches channel at YouTube!.  There are plenty of other videos out there that will show these effects but I liked the aerial shots.

So, we all know that 'not-so-clean' coal is bad for our health.  We recommend keeping the pressure on your elected officials to oppose the development of new projects and ensuring that you are doing everything you can to reduce your energy demand.

image courtesy of Bian Gratwicke