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South Carolina Stands Up to Big Coal

Posted by Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club at 3:26 PM on February 2, 2009.

SC is on the front lines of global warming, so it is no surprise that a coalition has formed against the latest planned coal-fired power plant there.

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South Carolina is on the front lines of global warming, being that they are in the path of the more fierce hurricanes and rising sea levels. So it should be no surprise that a coalition has formed against the latest planned coal-fired power plant there – a 660-megawatt near the Pee Dee River area.

If built, this plant could be the single largest new destroyer of Appalachian mountains in the United States. Why? Because the plant would use coal sourced from the states where the coal industry is busy blowing off the tops of mountains to get the coal out.

For a state with such wind and solar potential, and no coal reserves, it is downright bizarre that a state agency (yes, the state runs power plants) to be stuck in such 19th century thinking about energy options. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon across the U.S. – many states with great clean, renewable energy options are busy chasing energy sources of the past.

That’s why our South Carolina chapter has banded together with a great new coalition of like-minded organizations to urge the state to be a leader, not a laggard. This new coalition called “SC Says No” – is already getting some results in the fight against the Santee Cooper plant.

Photo courtesy Courtesy Graeme Fouste of the Columbia Free Times

The coalition members recently led a delegation to a South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control hearing to demand a board review of the plant’s air permit. Their presence was acknowledged by board members and the request for a board hearing on the air permit was granted for Feb. 12.

South Carolina Chapter Director John Ramsburgh has a simple 2009 resolution “Put a Palmetto State smack-down on this coal plant. The state can do so much better.”

We’ll be there to help them the whole way.

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Also by Bruce Nilles
Coal is Too Dirty Even for College -- New Campaign Targets Polluting Schools Though college life allows for leniency in the socially acceptable, coal still crosses the line. October 7, 2009.	Mixed Bag on Coal Mining Decision from Obama Administration Without a significant change in policy, mining companies will continue to destroy our mountains and bury our streams on Obama's watch. June 15, 2009.	Help Stop the Coal Industry's Desperate Attempts to Thwart Change on Global Warming You now have the chance to counter the fear mongering by demonstrating that Americans want strong action on global warming. May 18, 2009.	EPA: Carbon Dioxide Endangers Human Health Now there is no longer a question of if or even when the U.S. will act on global warming. April 20, 2009.

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