President Bush's Energy Plan:

(courtesy of the Sierra Club.)

Threatens Wisconsin and American Families with More: Water Pollution, Air Pollution and Cancer, Increased Flood Risk & Killer Heat Waves, Water Pollution.

In Wisconsin we love our rivers and lakes. Unfortunately, they are all polluted with mercury from under regulated power plants and other polluters. President Bush's energy plan calls for building one power plant a week, probably a coal plant. If that happens, Bush's plan could release more than 350,000 pounds of additional mercury into the environment over the next 20 years.

- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 percent of American women-roughly 7 million-already have so much mercury in their blood that if they became pregnant, it would pose a threat to the fetus.

- In July 2000, the National Academy of Sciences committee on mercury toxicity estimated that 60,000 children each year are born at a significantly increased risk of adverse neurological effects from the mercury. Mercury contamination damages the nervous system, brain, kidney and liver. According to the committee, current exposure levels could result in an increased number of children "who have to struggle to keep up in school and who might require remedial classes of special education" (NAS 2000). The government's failure to control mercury has turned many highly nutritious fish species into a health hazard for pregnant women.

- Coal-fired power plants contribute 30% of the mercury pollution in Wisconsin and are the leading source of mercury pollution in Wisconsin and across the United States.

Sources:
Special Report by the Izaak Walton League of America, "Mercury in the Upper Midwest." http://www.iwla.org/reports/mer_scre.html, Environmental Working Group Mercury Memo, http://www.ewg.org/pub /home/Reports/MercMemoMay2001/
mercmemomay2001.html.


Air Pollution & Increased Cancer Risk-

Bush's plan will increase air pollution in Wisconsin's cities and America by letting the old, dirty plants like Wisconsin Electric's, which emitted 3.8 million pounds of hazardous substances, to continue to pollute and bringing new power plants online without clean air protections.

A 1990 EPA report ranked Dane County, WI among the worst 20% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of cancer hazards from hazardous air pollutants. 330,717 people in Dane County face a cancer risk more than 100 times the goal set by the Clean Air Act.

- 51% of the air cancer risk is from mobile sources like trucks, SUVs and cars.

- 21% of the air cancer risk is from area sources, filling stations and dry cleaners.

- 28% of the air cancer risk is from point sources like power plants and big polluters. President Bush's energy plan will increase the cancer risks Wisconsinites face from Hazardous Air Pollutants, according to an EPA study:

- People in Wisconsin are estimated to be at 170 times greater risk for getting cancer than EPA safe levels recommend

- 3,367,681 Wisconsinites and more than 200 million Americans are exposed to Hazardous Air Pollutant levels that exceed safe levels for cancer risk by 100 times.

- Polycyclic Organic Matter, including pollution from trucks, cars, and power plants is the leading contributor to cancer risk from Hazardous Air Pollutants in Wisconsin.

Sources:
Environmental Scorecard http://www.scorecard.org/community/index.tcl ?zip_code=55105&set_community_ zipcodie_p=t,
Environmental Scorecard http://www.scorecard.org/env-releases/def/hap_risk_measures.html# cancer_risk.


Increased Flood Risk-

Does it seem like we are hit with "100 year" floods every year here in Wisconsin? Wisconsin ranks tenth among the worst states with flood damages totaling $1.42 billion and five deaths between 1989 and 1998. Increased global warming from President Bush's energy plan will only make things worse. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research found a 20% increase in severe rainstorms in the continental U.S. since 1970 and a 10% increase in winter precipitation. According to NOAA, "extreme flooding is expected to become more frequent across the United States due to an increase in precipitation extremes."

Sources:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website:
www.usace.army.mil/inet/functions/cw/cecwe/flood99/index.htm,
U.S. Department of Commerce News, "As Global Climate Warms, More Floods Expected," 1/16/97, page 1.


More Killer Heat Waves-

You think it is hot now, just wait! According to three climate change scenarios reported by Kalkstein and Green in the journal "Environmental Health Perspectives," unchecked greenhouse air pollution will cause more heat wave deaths. An estimated increase in Milwaukee shows heat deaths rising from 120 currently to 350 by the year 2050. President Bush's energy policy's dependence on more dirty coal plants and drilling for oil ensures that killer heat waves will get worse.

Sources:
Kalkstein, Laurence, and J. Scott Greene, "An Evaluation of Climate/Mortality Relationships in Large U.S. Cities and the Possible Impacts of Climate Change," Environmental Health Perspectives 105:84-93, 1997.


Solutions-

- Increase fuel efficiency for trucks, SUVs and cars. Fuel-efficient examples include the new hybrids-Honda's Insight and Toyota's Prius, which get over 50 miles per gallon and can cut gas costs in half. This technology could improve SUV mileage to 30-35 mpg.

- Find ways to conserve energy in your everyday life by car pooling, riding a bicycle, taking a train or bus, turning down the heat, turning off lights and computers, purchasing cleaner cars and buying energy efficient appliances and lightbulbs. - Adopt Kyoto Protocols to provide cleaner energy and reduce greenhouse air pollution.

For more information contact the Sierra Club Midwest office at (608) 257-4994 or visit our website at www.sierraclub.org.