Currently,
Georgia’s energy future is far from bright: over 2/3 of our energy comes from
coal burning power plants, we use 25 percent more electricity than the national
residential average, and our population has increased by about half over the
last two decades but our energy use has gone up even more - by 76 percent - in
the same time. This excessive energy use, most of it from dirty and dangerous
sources, has left us with a legacy of air and water pollution, public health
impacts, and the threat of global warming.
In early 2008 a
coalition of utilities announced plans to build a 800 MW coal-fired power plant
in Washington County, near Macon, GA. Along with smog and mercury pollution the
plant would use 16 million gallons of water per day at its peak and produce 6-7
million tons of carbon dioxide per year, the global warming equivalent of 1
million more cars on the road each year in Georgia.
The plant is also a
financial risk. Experts predict global warming regulations will make carbon
dioxide an expensive by product. It could increase the costs of the Washington County coal plant by hundreds of
millions of dollars. The reality is solutions like energy efficiency will cost
less and create more jobs for our local economy.
States
like Texas and Kentucky are saying ‘no’ to more coal-fired
power and pollution but only because citizens are standing up and demanding a
cleaner, cooler and cheaper energy future. With your help we can demand that
our leaders in Georgia and Washington DC invest in clean energy and not coal in Georgia.
For more information regarding Plant Washinton, please visit the links below:
