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OMAHA, Nebraska — Omaha residents might proceed to face poisonous well being dangers and environmental results from the North Omaha energy plant because of a brand new decision from Omaha Public Energy District (OPPD) to maintain burning coal. The proposal, scheduled for a vote by the OPPD board on Dec. 18, would undo a collection of OPPD’s earlier commitments and plans to retire coal which were in progress since 2014.
On Tuesday, OPPD administration introduced the decision to the board. In response, the Sierra Membership Nebraska Chapter is asking OPPD to honor its commitments and retire or refuel this supply of air pollution to mitigate the hurt it has brought on the North Omaha group. Not solely have latest research discovered coal to be an costly vitality supply, however quite a few organizations engaged in well being analysis have linked burning fossil fuels to elevated well being dangers, together with the American Lung Affiliation, American Coronary heart Affiliation, American Public Well being Affiliation, and others.
Regardless of current analysis, OPPD has sought the assistance of the Electrical Energy Analysis Institute (EPRI), a utility consulting agency, to conduct its personal examine in Omaha. As Chapter Vitality Chair Dr. David Corbin, a retired public well being professor, acknowledged, “You don’t go to an engineering agency to get correct well being knowledge, simply as you wouldn’t go to them to deal with an sickness.”
“Retiring the North Omaha coal plant can be in Omaha’s greatest curiosity, and we have to maintain OPPD to its promise to do exactly that,” stated Ken Winston, Sierra Membership Nebraska Chapter Director. “We stand with the folks of the North Omaha group in calling for the elimination of this supply of air pollution, which harms the group with greater than 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases yearly.
To deal with OPPD’s peak demand wants, there are cost-effective clear vitality options that may very well be carried out, together with packages that assist folks cut back their vitality consumption, present incentives for distributed technology, and put money into battery storage. If OPPD needs to take care of the boldness of the group, it’s vital that it honors its phrase.”
In regards to the Sierra Membership
The Sierra Membership is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental group, with thousands and thousands of members and supporters. Along with defending each individual’s proper to get outdoor and entry the therapeutic energy of nature, the Sierra Membership works to advertise clear vitality, safeguard the well being of our communities, defend wildlife, and protect our remaining wild locations by grassroots activism, public schooling, lobbying, and authorized motion. For extra info, go to www.sierraclub.org.
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