New coal plant proposal will harm environment

By Katie Dexter 2010

America itself is at an energy peak. Should we continue to meet energy needs by building dirty, unnecessary $1.3 billion coal burning plants or should we take our environment, health and future generation into consideration?

The answer should be obvious. While our cities urge new technologies, lifetime locals fight to stick with older energy ways.

Cancer, asthma and autism are just a few and basic harmful health effects that come from the proposed coal burning plant.

It is unfair to the future generations of children, while they would be my kids, to shorten their lives with the CO2 emissions in our polluted air. The proposed plant will create twice as much pollution as half the cars in Iowa right here in our local area.

Instead of the coal plant, I would like to see plants using renewable sources such as wind power, solar power or biomass energy being built around our area. It would be more health efficient and obviously better for the environment.

With global warming becoming a real threat, we don’t need any more contributors causing things like this.

Although health effects is a main issue, it’s not the only reason the coal plant is a bad idea. Building the plant may involve taking coal from mountaintops and other natural environments that should be left alone.

But the proposed plant wouldn’t just take from the environment but also farmland from a local resident named Merle Bell. Bell’s family has owned this land for over 150 years, and he has no intention on giving up his property that he promised his father he would keep to give to LS Power.

As students, there are many things we can do to resist the proposed plant. Attending local rallies and signing petitions are a few ways we can help out in the community.

Also, going to and speaking at public hearings shows the entire community that even young students care about this issue.

If the proposed plant is built, we can still do things in our future that reduce our risk of pollution in the air such as biking more, without using the proposed bike path that will go around the plant.

Our future, our children’s future and our children’s children’s future doesn’t have to be buried with emissions from a coal stack.