Salem Harbor Power Plant example essay topic

The Salem Harbor power plant is a serious threat to the public health - and it may only get worse. There is a severe concern about toxic air emissions from the prior waste disposal practices. That is why Bush's energy plan doesn't quite work? In the Salem Evening News it says that, "The Bush plan only pays lip service to the threat of global warming, the greatest environmental danger of our time". (Kept Davies) The Bush plan may of solved the threat of global warming, but in reality Pollution from oil- and coal-burning power plants kills more people in Massachusetts every year than homicides and drunken driving combined.

Why should the public be harmed every time they decide to take a jog around the block? People are dying each year due to the Salem Harbor power plant. "The activists planted crosses to symbolize the deaths caused by the mining and burning of coal made, making the point that the Bush plan is over reliant on coal, a dirty energy source". (Davies) Not only does the Salem Harbor power plant kill people each year but other plants such as; "Brayton Point in Somerset; Canal Station in Sandwich; Mystic Station in Everett; Mt. Tom Station in Holyoke; and Somerset Station in Somerset" (Davies) kill people too. The real factor that kills the people is the coal.

It may not seem it but "coal kills the people who mine it, and when corporate polluters burn it - coal destroys our air, and shortens lives". (Davies) So should the general public be harmed everyday when they decide to go for a jog in the morning? What can be done to prevent coal from being used? There are enough new gas-fired power plants under construction to supply nearly half of New England's peak demand.

"Two new gas pipelines are now operational, adding enough natural gas supply to New England to power all the new plants currently being built". (Davies) We don't get our power from a particular power plant, but from the web of power plants and transmission lines across the region called the "grid."These new plants will come on line over the next one to two years, to compete against the old, dirty units to supply our electric power". (Davies) So using the gas pipelines is one way to cut down on the coal. How about another way?

In fact there is! Davies says that, "New England should not rely on burning polluting, foreign coal or oil, when it has a wealth of renewable energy sources such as wind power just waiting to be tapped, Massachusetts alone has enough in-state wind potential to power one-fifth of New England. ' Using this technique cuts down on the price of electricity because "the cost of coal comes out to almost double the price of using clean wind power". (Davies) As you can see there are other alternatives that can be used in getting electricity. Alternatives that is a lot safer to the public and the air. So it looks like Salem Harbor and all the other old units will keep running unless a new plant displaces it and supplies our power, instead the winner will be the one that can produce the power at the lowest cost.

Then they can sell it into the newly competitive electricity market. The new, cleaner ones will replace many of the old, inefficient units. Once this happens then the public will be able to take their runs in the morning without worrying about 'is it safe for me. '.