Florida is protecting her citizens, and South Carolina should too

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) just blocked plans to build a coal fire power plant this past Friday. DEP blocked the plans because Seminole did not demonstrate that the project minimizes adverse effects on human health, the environment and the ecology of the land and waters. Seminole could not show that the project would serve the broad public interest. Here in South Carolina, our Environmental Agency, DHEC, should show the same concern for our citizens and natural heritage. This proposed Pee Dee plant is a threat to the health of everyone who live near it, and it will poison our streams, lakes and oceans all across the state. Do we want to leave our children with a legacy of heart attacks and lung cancer? Nationally, coal fire power plants cut short 24,000 lives from these horrible health effects. The proposed Pee Dee facility will continuously release dangerous levels of toxic mercury into the air and water. This is a threat to our South Carolinian way of life, and this Pee Dee facility that Santee Cooper is so intent on building will poison innocent unborn children, causing birth defects and learning disabilities. This toxic mercury will also end up in swordfish, tilefish, shark and king mackerel, making these prized game catches to dangerous to eat.
Santee Cooper promises a clean coal plant, but that is nothing more than smokestacks and mirrors. This is just another example of the sort of mismanagement, short sightedness and careless behavior that has become the hallmark of Santee Cooper. It is time for DHEC to do its job and protect our citizens. DHEC should fully investigate the impacts of this proposed plant to ensure that our health, quality of life and our environment are protected.