Most everyone across the country has heard about the coal-ash spill from a Duke Energy plant in Eden, N.C., that took place last week. In the midst of public outcry, the state has announced intentions to create a task force of experts to review other coal-ash ponds around the state in hopes of preventing future disasters.
Secretary John Skvarla of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has vowed to take action regarding this issue, but actions speak louder than words, and state officials have continuously disappointed their constituents by favoring industry interests over the health and safety of the public.
It is time for North Carolina’s state government to do what is right for residents, and that means going far beyond promises of investigations or reviews of problematic sites. Coal dependence continues to prove devastating to the planet and people. A switch to clean, renewable energy is the only option; promises to make fossil fuel use less harmful are a solution only to a symptom, not the problem itself.
State officials have continuously demonstrated their loyalty to corporate interests in regard to environmental regulation initiatives. Just a couple of weeks ago, Skvarla wrote a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, challenging the authority of the EPA to regulate carbon pollution from power plants and asserting that economic development is of the utmost importance to the state.
Skvarla claims that North Carolina has been successful in protecting our environment and the public, yet officials were alerted in the past to issues with the very coal-ash containment facility that leaked last week, and acted on behalf of Duke Energy in blocking regulation that could have prevented the disastrous leak.
An article about the budding-task-force initiative mentions that environmental groups around the state have called for stricter regulation of coal-fired power plants and waste facilities, but environmental advocates have been pushing for much more. North Carolina has immense potential for harnessing both solar and wind energy—renewable energies that would promote economic development, job creation, energy independence and a reduction in our contribution to climate change. So what is stopping state legislators from supporting initiatives to move toward clean energy?
Democracy is supposed to be a mechanism for public participation in government decision-making. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend of elected officials catering to the needs of industry groups and succumbing to corporate power. It is time for North Carolina public officials to listen to their constituents and exercise their authority to ensure environmental protection for the good of the people and our environment. It is not only those people directly affected by the coal-ash spill who are outraged. Pople throughout the state continue to call for a clean, productive energy revolution and a government that shows concern for their health and safety both in rhetoric and action.
Send your thoughts to Mariaina at [email protected].