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Letter: Accelerate deadline for EPA change

The Columbian
Published: June 21, 2014, 5:00pm

The May 28 editorial “A Coal-Free Washington? Changes are coming to the way electricity is produced, and state is preparing itself” was inspiring. Any change toward clean energy is good. Washington state should remain lovely.

President Obama’s new EPA rules to curb pollution are a great start.

As a registered nurse, though, my opinion is that reducing emissions by the year 2025 is not soon enough. That’s a whole childhood away.

Coal droppings into the Columbia River Gorge have already caused many fish to be unsafe for consumption. Coal and dust contain lead, mercury and radioactive substances. So, should we burn any more coal into our air?

It is my hope that the Trans-Alta coal-fired facility near Centralia can be “rid of coal” sooner than 11 years from now.

Trains, shipping obsolete fuel on our rails, use added diesel engines, bringing formaldehyde, arsenic and benzene fumes to worsen our health. Asthma is already epidemic.

Much coal being burned now was shipped from American towns, already ruined by coal mining pollution. Foreign factories burning coal envelop towns in black air, signaling us of danger.

In answer, help Washington state be coal-free and ship only clean cargo.

Dorethea Simone

Camas

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