Whether or not the city of Tallahassee should support the North Florida Power Plant is the hottest topic in the Capitol. Perhaps the proposed coal plant is the talk of the town because the project will lower electric bills or maybe because coal-burning power plants are the largest industrial source of pollution. Either way, locals are being challenged to think outside of the box.
Locals have to think about Tallahassee’s need for an alternative source for fuel, the short supply of natural gas and how much pollution the coal-fired plant will produce.
According to the National Campaign Against Dirty Power, sulfur dioxide is the primary component of fine particulate matter pollution in eastern America. Reports show that particulate pollution from power plants kills an estimated 30,000 Americans each year. In Florida, over 1,400 people die each year because of pollution from coal-fired plants.
Members of the Clean Air Coalition want citizens of Tallahassee to understand the effects of breathing in pollution from coal plants.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, representatives of the NFPP project have committed to providing the latest pollution controls and say the new plant will produce much less pollution than the 13 existing coal-burning plants in Florida.
Although NFPP representatives are committed to using state-of-the-art equipment to control pollution, one fact still remains, once coal is burned, it releases fine particles, mercury and other pollutants in the air.
Air pollution also destroys the environment, causing acid rain, the depletion of the ozone layer and global warming. If representatives want citizens of the Tallahassee to support the coal plant, than they must keep their words and control pollution.
Angela Green for the Editorial Board.