A recent report by the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy stated that "Alabama has the third highest death rate in the U.S. from power plant fine particulate matter air pollution." This report also stated that, "Gadsden, Anniston, Florence and Birmingham, Alabama were all listed in the top ten cities for highest death rates in the nation from power plant particulate matter," with Gadsden being number one in the country! (Clean the Air, October 2000)¹.

With a record like this it is inexcusable for power companies to be spending millions of dollars on advertising which creates a false and lasting impression of innocence. Such advertising brainwashes the public and seduces the media into being puppets for the power companies, such that editors sweep under the carpet any voice of sanity or reason that goes against the all powerful power companies.

Now we have a situation where these same companies are building yet more coal-fueled power plants while older plants fail to meet new national standards with respect to clean air. The end result is more people suffering from asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, lung cancer and other illness attributed to breathing fine particulate matter, increased levels of ground ozone and elevated levels of sulfur dioxide.

When are the people of Alabama going to wake up and demand that power companies clean up their act and stop trying to brainwash them and their children? How many more Alabamians must die from breating polluted air before our legislatures will put an end to this false advertising and carnage?

Sources:

1. Clean the Air, "Death, Disease & Dirty Power: Mortality and Health Damage Due to Power Plant Air Pollution," p. 6. October 2000.

Sincerely,
Terry Lynch
Date: 22 May, 2003

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