From: Josh Nelson, CREDO Action <act@credoaction.com>
Sent: August 09, 2011 8:08 AM
To: Daniel A. Stafford <aquarianm@gmail.com>
Subject: No more coal ash dumping in Lake Michigan!
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Dear Daniel, For nearly 60 years now, the S.S. Badger has been making twice-daily trips across Lake Michigan. Each day during the five-month sailing season the ship burns 55 tons of coal, generating an estimated 3.8 tons of filthy coal ash pollution.1 Incredibly, this ship dumps 7,600 pounds of dirty coal ash directly into Lake Michigan on a daily basis. A rule established by the EPA in 2008 forbids steam ships from dumping coal ash into the great lakes, but last-minute lobbying efforts earned the S.S. Badger an exemption through the end of 2012.2 The company that operates the ship now wants the EPA to extend the exemption for another five years, allowing it to dump coal pollution into Lake Michigan through the end of 2017. The company that owns the S.S. Badger claims that the coal ash isn't toxic, but there's plenty of evidence that this waste is harmful to human health. A 2007 EPA report found that exposure to coal ash contaminated drinking water results in an increased risk of both cancer and liver damage.3 Coal ash typically contains heavy metals including arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and selenium. Exposure to these heavy metals can cause heart damage, lung disease, respiratory distress, kidney disease and reproductive problems, among other health issues.4 Coal-powered steamships are a relic of the past that have largely been phased out in the United States due to environmental and health concerns. And dumping coal waste pollution into bodies of water — especially Lake Michigan, which provides drinking water for ten million Americans5 — should have been prohibited entirely decades ago. The amount of coal ash discharged into Lake Michigan annually by the S.S. Badger exceeds one million pounds. Allowing this to continue for another five years would result in more than five million pounds of additional coal ash being dumped into the lake, with potentially devastating consequences for the environment and public health. The S.S. Badger's operators have known since 2008 that they had until 2012 to deal with this problem. They've had more than enough time to transition the S.S. Badger to a cleaner fuel source, and they shouldn't be allowed to dump dirty coal ash into Lake Michigan beyond the previously established 2012 deadline. Thanks for fighting to protect Lake Michigan from coal pollution. Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager 1. Port cities marshal support for S.S. Badger, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, August 3, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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