Letters To The Editor

Sacrificed for
emissions?

To the editor: The area surrounding power plants is often called a “sacrifice zone,” as the people who live and work in these areas often get cancer and fall ill more frequently than those who do not live in those areas.
With so many power plants in our community, it’s time to put the needs of our people first and electricity second.
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act has expressly directed the EPA to regulate carbon emissions from new and existing power plants. As such, the EPA has forthcoming regulations on power plant emissions. These regulations will help us reach our decarbonization goals, improve the health of people near the plants, create jobs, and hold polluters accountable.
According to the EPA, nationally, from last year, there has been a “6 percent increase in nitric oxide, a 20 percent increase in sulfur dioxide, a 7 percent increase in carbon dioxide emissions, and a 13 percent increase in mercury emissions.”
Gov. Mike DeWine may classify “natural” methane gas as “green energy” because it emits less carbon dioxide than coal, but it will never be a renewable or sustainable energy. It is finite, contributes to global warming, and is not renewable. It’s time to regulate with a mindset of people over profits, and communities over corporations.
Kayla Adolph
Toledo