Roll Mercury?

Living in Alabama for several years, I discovered just how much college football means to the population. With Alabama and Auburn sharing an incredible run of overall success and National Championships, there is no doubt that college football is king right now in "The Heart of Dixie." Even as I write this #2 Alabama is preparing to face #1 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl for the right to be #1 again.

However, there's another #2 ranking that Alabama should not be so proud of: Shelby, AL, is home to the #2 largest source of mercury pollution in the United States, the Gaston Steam Plant. This power plant dumped 1244 lbs of mercury into Alabama's water and air in 2011, second only to the Martin Lake Steam Electric Station & Lignite Mine in Rusk County, TX, at 1501 lbs of mercury emitted.

Mercury is a heavy metal that can be toxic in high doses, and typically causes damage to the brain, kidneys, or lungs. Frequently you may hear that mercury is prevalent in fish, which is true. However, mercury is also present in grasses, insects, and livestock. It bioaccumulates, meaning that is becomes concentrated at ever-higher amounts as you move up the food chain. Fishing is off-limits in many rivers and lakes in the U.S., including Alabama, due to mercury contamination.

Humans are the source of approximately 50% of mercury releases worldwide, primarily from the burning of coal. The 10 "dirtiest" coal-fired plants in the United States account for approximately 18% of all U.S. based mercury emissions. Note: the other 4 of the top 5 dirtiest mercury-emitting plants in the U.S. are all located in Texas, and operated by Luminant Generation.

The technology exists to eliminate mercury emissions from coal fired plants by over 90%, yet often nothing is done because of the incremental increase in the cost of energy to consumers. I wonder though--what is the cost of illness and lost productivity? What is the off-set gain in the creation of jobs to retrofit the plants with cleaner technologies? Don't these costs and benefits also factor into the overall picture when deciding whether or not to clean up a "dirty" plant? If not, shouldn't they? Essentially the energy companies are externalizing their operating costs on the public at large, maximizing their own profitability.

It is common knowledge that Alabama consistently ranks near the bottom of all U.S. states whether considering education, health, poverty, income, or many other indicators of overall well-being. (As the saying in Alabama goes, "Thank God for Mississippi!)" It's great to have a college football team challenging for the National Title, and it gives many people something to cheer for. However, whether or not the Crimson Tide ends its season #1 or #2, I'm more concerned about the long-term consequences of that other #2: emitting mercury that we all may end up breathing or ingesting.