Dear Melissa,
One small town in Southern Indiana, population 2,160, emits more toxic pollution than New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles combined.1
If this distinction isn't bad enough, now the town of Rockport faces the prospect of another dirty coal-to-gas plant. Adding insult to injury, Leucadia Corp. has proposed a massive $2.9 billion plant that would place additional strain on the Ohio River -- already identified as the most polluted waterway in the United States.2
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) can put the brakes on this dangerous plan. Tell IDEM to reject Leucadia's water permit and protect residents who live along the Ohio River!
For far too long, communities like Rockport and Owensboro, Kentucky -- just across the Ohio River -- have paid a heavy price for harboring some of the nation's biggest polluters. In just a small span of the Ohio River from Evansville to Tell City, no less than five coal plants dot the riverside.3 These plants emit toxic pollution, including mercury, sulfur, and carbon - linked to birth defects and chronic health concerns like asthma and heart disease.
Residents in the region have lived under the cloud of massive coal burning power plants for decades, making it one of the most polluted areas in the world. Rockport Generating Station is already one of the largest coal plants ever built, with massive cooling towers and smokestacks that can be seen more than 45 miles away.
But Indiana's governor and legislature have been absent in their duty to protect residents in Kentuckiana. Instead they passed a sweetheart deal to force Indiana ratepayers to buy Leucadia's dirty gas, while exempting big business! This means Indiana consumers all across the state can expect to see their gas bills increase, as Leucadia's synthetic gas could cost ratepayers up to three times the cost of conventional natural gas.
You can help us stop this dirty plant. Ask IDEM to reject Leucadia's water permit!
Already burdened by heavy industrial pollution, the community of Rockport cannot bear another dirty coal plant. Leucadia's plant would use up to 16 million gallons of water from the Ohio River, bringing more dirty coal down the Ohio River, along with the coal dust, waste, and emissions that accompany it.
It is time to send a strong message to Indiana politicians -- we don't want our future tied to a failing industry that will pollute our communities and the Ohio River for decades to come! Nor do we want to be locked in to decades of higher gas bills due to bad decisions made at the Indiana Statehouse.
Send your message to IDEM today! We don't want to pay the price for Leucadia's costly experiment with this outdated energy source.
Thank you in advance for taking action! Together we can make a difference.
Sincerely,
Thomas Pearce
Beyond Coal Campaign
Sierra Club
P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends and colleagues!
Sources:
1. Valley Watch Infographic on Rockport using statistics from EPA's Toxic Release Inventory.
2. Ohio River is the most polluted river in the United States, Global Post, April 5, 2012.
3. Existing Coal Map, Sierra Club.
