In the past, the US Chamber of Commerce has ridiculed environmental efforts. These days, however, Tamara Keith reports some of its members are thinking about riding the green wave.
Also, energy companies in Canada are getting ready to tap some of the dirtiest oil in the world.
And, the sludge created by a coal-ash spill in Tennessee could cause even more problems as it dries up. Matt Schafer Powell reports residents are worried that toxic dust is in the air around their homes.
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Green investment? If it means some green for us, we'll take it.
This is The Environment Report. I'm Lester Graham.
One of the big buzzwords surrounding the 787-billion dollar stimulus package signed by President Obama is green jobs. Tamara Keith found now the US Chamber of Commerce is interested in green investments (sort of):
In the past, the Chamber has ridiculed all things environmental. But, its members want to catch this green wave. A recent panel discussion revealed some of the business leaders are optimistic about the stimulus package's green investments. Mark Santacrose is CEO of TectaAmerica Corp. It installs environmentally friendly roofing.
"We've lost over 900,000 jobs in the broader construction industry in the last year. Investment in green will have a big impact."
The energy industry wants in on stimulus funds too. Mary Miller is a vice president at the Edison Electric Institute.
"The more efficient use of energy has invaluable benefits to consumers, the economy, and our country."
But an economist on the panel was not as thrilled. He told Chamber of Commerce members that spending on green jobs will mean fewer jobs would be created overall.
For the Environment Report, I'm Tamara Keith.
President Obama is in Canada to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. One of the things they're talking about is Canada's oil sands. In a pristine area of Alberta, they're extracting this really thick, tar-like, asphalt-like substance that can eventually be turned into oil. It takes two tons of the stuff to make one barrel of oil. Environmentalists say, compared to regular crude, three times more greenhouse gases are created to extract, transport, and refine the sand tar. Henry Henderson is with the Natural Resources Defense Council:
"This is opting for filthy oil rather than saying ‘Oh, this really is a wake-up call that our addiction is so out of control that we're willing to destroy massive amounts of critical habitat in order to continue down the path that we've already recognized is unstable.'"
Ten refineries are expanding their facilities to process the Canadian tar sands. Environmentalists say it'll mean more air and water pollution at each site.
This is The Environment Report.
Burning coal for electricity causes greenhouse gases and other air pollution. As we reported in December, a Tennessee power plant revealed another concern. For decades it dumped its coal ash into a pond next to it. The dam failed. Matt Shafer Powell reports more than a billion gallons of the sludge contaminated the soil and water. Now, there's concern about the air:
In December, the massive coal ash spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant in East Tennessee made people aware of a hazard they'd never really considered before. And no one knows how much of a problem it's going to be.
"We're looking across the Emory River."
Matt Landon is a volunteer for the environmental group United Mountain Defense. These days, he spends a lot of time near the T.V.A.'s ash-spill site. It was on one of his recent rounds near the Emory River that he saw something that scared him:
"I drove around the bend here on Emory River Road and I witnessed a massive dust storm coming off the entire coal ash disaster site."
Coal ash can contain toxic heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury. For Landon, the site of this swirling cloud was a reminder that the sludge could dry up and the toxic metals in it could become airborne.
Diana Anderson lives just downwind from the site. A gentle breeze blowing across the chimes on her porch used to soothe her. But now she worries that breeze might be making her sick.
"My sinuses are irritated, I have a raspy throat, and I do a lot of coughing and my head hurts and I feel very, very, very fatigued."
Anderson has volunteered to let United Mountain Defense test the air near her home. The T.V.A. is also testing the air, with help from the State of Tennessee and the E.P.A. T.V.A Spokesman Gil Francis says they've already collected more than 10-thousand air samples.
"The samples are coming back that the air quality is meeting the National Air Ambient Standards and we're going to continue to work hard to make sure that's what the case is going forward."
Francis says the T.V.A. has done a lot to keep the ash from drying out and blowing around. But for a disaster that has little precedent, environmentalists worry that even that might not be enough.
For the Environment Report, I'm Matt Shafer Powell.
That's The Environment Report, I'm Lester Graham.
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