 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
September 20, 2007
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||
|
September 20, 2007 |
|||||
 |
|
Editorial Take more time on energy issue It’s not every day that one of the most well-respected environmental groups in the country offers to visit Yellow Springs Village Council to discuss an upcoming Council decision. It’s not every day, but it happened on Monday, when Council received a letter from a National Resources Defense Council representative. The representative offered to drive from Chicago to present the group’s serious concerns about the proposed AMP-Ohio coal-powered power plant, to which the Village is considering signing on as co-owner. However, the majority of Council seemed unimpressed with this offer. Rather, they chose to go ahead with their pivotal discussion on the AMP-Ohio plant next week with a presentation from only one perspective, that of AMP-Ohio. Make no mistake: this is a big decision. AMP-Ohio is asking the Village to lock itself into paying for a portion of this proposed coal-powered plant for 50 years. AMP-Ohio, not surprisingly, says the plant presents only a small environmental hazard; National Resources Defense Council says the hazard is significant. As Ellis Jacobs said at Monday night’s meeting, wouldn’t it be best for the community to hear a vigorous debate from those deeply involved on both sides of the issue? As puzzling as Council’s presentation of only one perspective is its apparent rush to decide. Yes, AMP-Ohio wants sponsoring towns to sign on by November, probably for financial reasons, and thus Council decided to deliver a decision by then. But at last Monday’s meeting legal counsel made clear that the AMP-Ohio contract actually allows the Village, with no penalty, up to March 1 to decide. There is no good reason, as Judith Hempfling pointed out, not to take all the time available to make an informed decision. Global warming threatens our planet. It’s now clear that coal-fired power plants are the biggest source, in this country, of carbon dioxide pollution, and that pollution creates global warming. Yes, the issue is complex — our town needs energy, and the alternatives to coal, at this time, look less reliable and perhaps more expensive. But surely signing on for 50 more years of coal should be undertaken only after the most thorough consideration and without any other reasonable alternative. Yellow Springs is a little town with a big history of innovative thought and creative solutions. As the world stands poised between those using old, polluting technologies and those seeking new energy sources, we should not throw our weight behind the old. We should be stepping out as leaders of those pushing AMP-Ohio to find new ways to address global warming. If Council decides it must commit to a coal-fired plant, it should do so only after the most thorough and reasoned dialogue. Our town deserves no less.
|
|
