On 11/30/02 3:41 PM, "Doug" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hmm, do you have to be a Democrat to be susceptible to mercury or > dioxins? Ohio plants alone released more than 1,600 lbs of mercury in > 1998 and the state has issued warnings about eating fish caught in their > waters. Dioxins are released in much smaller numbers, but are also > thought to pose health risks even at very low levels. And of course the > pollution Ohio creates doesn't just pollute Ohio. That's why a group of > Northeast states are threatening to suit to prevent the changes from > taking effect.
No you don't have to be a Democrat to be susceptible to mercury or dioxins. It is, however, a big stretch to shift the blame to a particular group for a problem that has existed since the burning of coal as a fuel. You will not get any disagreement from me that the reduction of mercury is a worthwhile goal. What's being done about it? I am glad you asked. From the article: http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/06/06262001/mercury_44092.asp An excerpt from the article: Cherokee Station coal-powered plant, Denver, Colorado. The Public Service Company of Colorado relies primarily on coal for power generation at the Cherokee Station and its other power plants. A mercury emissions control system now used on municipal waste incinerators is being adapted to function on coal-fired power plants by Consol Inc. of Library, Pennsylvania. The system is expected to remove not only mercury but also sulfur pollutants that can create visible plumes and contaminate other pollution control devices. The Consol project is one of six new projects selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to curb mercury emissions from coal-fired plants more effectively that systems in use today and at a fraction of current costs. The program is designed to address environmental objections to the continued burning of coal to generate electricity. Coal currently generates just over half of America's electrical power. The six proposals, selected by the Energy Department's National Energy Technology Laboratory, will receive nearly $8 million in federal funds. The proposers will contribute nearly $2.3 million in cost sharing funding. U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham says the Bush administration's newly announced National Energy Policy "calls for this type of technological ingenuity to meet many of the nation's energy and environmental goals." The Anti-Christ strikes again! But this one did not make the news. > So we have the industry trying to extend the lives of the plants that > pollute the most by working around the rules. It is unfortunate that > one of the only ways we have to impose our values on consciousless > corporations is to sue them, but there is often no alternative. But from your same quoted article comes the following: The Clinton EPA suits allege 51 coal-fired power plants made repairs and changes dating as far back as 1975, and as recent as 2000, that did not comply with permitting and the application of technologies as called for in NSR. Industry questions why EPA, as well as state and local environmental officials, inspected their sites throughout the previous decades and never raised the possibility of enforcement action. "We have a legal process," said Gaynor. "Congress enacts laws. EPA issues regulations. Industry abides by those laws and regulations. What this [Clinton] NSR initiative is all about is EPA not following the normal rulemaking processes to establish an interpretation of the law, and instead it is trying to argue that the interpretation that they're now seeking to enforce has always been in existence, when in fact it hasn't been." The Clinton era EPA changed the rules to a place where they were never meant to be. Bush switched them back. Yes, the old plants stay put, but they can get better. And they should. And they will. People will demand it, again this is not a bad thing. Oh, and about the fifteen percent. I'll make a correction down to 12 percent, but that's my final offer. (It just takes time to track down source documentation (That is unless your name is Dan M.)). Detroit Edison is proposing to replace the entire high-pressure sections of two turbines to allow for the use of a new type of turbine blade and to reconfigure the design in order to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. To install the Dense Pack, Detroit Edison must shut down the units. Detroit Edison expects the installation to take approximately 44 days, and plans to complete the installation during the time normally allotted for turbine outages. Installation of the Dense Pack would involve replacement and reconfiguration of blades in the high-pressure sections of the two units, using rotors and casings to support the new blade configuration. In addition, the Dense Pack would use a newer, substantially improved type of blade than is currently in use at the Monroe facility. As noted above, Detroit Edison states that the high pressure sections of the turbines at Units 1 and 4 are operating at 7% below their original efficiency ratings due to accumulated deterioration in the high-pressure section of the turbines. The Dense Pack project would increase efficiency of the high-pressure sections of the turbines over current levels by 12%, restoring the 7% lost efficiency at the high pressure section and improving the efficiency of the high-pressure section by 5% over the original design. This increased efficiency in the high-pressure sections would increase the overall efficiency of each of the turbines by 4.5%. In addition, the new Dense Pack configuration could reduce efficiency deterioration by 70%. Therefore, Detroit Edison expects the inspections and needed repair or replacements to occur once every 10 years, instead of once every 4 years. > I'd prefer that the legacy for my generation was something > like "worked to make the world a better place" rather than "insured > themselves of a comfy retirement," but it seems as retirement > approaches, there are fewer of us that share that sentiment. Just remember who is going to be paying your social security! :) I'm not paying for your Viagra, Matthew Bos _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
