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Tuesday, 13 February 2007 18:40 |
 The debate over global warming came to a head in Asheville this week, as a public debate over a possible new power plant intensified.
The proposed $72 million plant would generate electricity by burning low-sulphur diesel fuel during periods of peak demand to supplement the countyís taxed power grid.
Buncombe County commissioners already approved the project, unanimously voting Jan. 16 to lease 78 acres in Woodfin to Progress Energy for $1 per year over the next 50 years.
However, the public has not given the plan such a warm reception.
More than 100
people attended the meeting of the board and the vast majority of the
speakers during the public hearing portion of the meeting spoke out
against it, citing environmental and health concerns.
Then, two
protesters took the law into their own hands on Feb. 6 by climbing a
billboard in Woodfin and hanging a sign that read ìBurning oil ainít
progress. No new Woodfin power plant.î
Progress claims
that the plant is necessary to meet growing demands for energy in the
area and that the low-sulphur diesel plant is one of the cleaner ways
to do this.
Critics,
however, argue that the plant will exacerbate air-quality problems as
well as contribute to global warming. Progress, they say, should pursue
environmentally sustainable methods of power generation that do not
produce as much pollution.
We agree. All
the talk and hype about global warming and the poor air quality of
Western North Carolina will not amount to much unless companies like
Progress take the lead in developing alternatives to fossil fuels.
Furthermore, it
is incumbent on elected officials to listen to their constituents ó
especially on issues that affect the health and safety of the region in
such a profound manner.
As long as the
unchecked development that is tearing up every inch of mountain land in
this area is allowed to continue, one thing is certain: demands for
power and other resources will continue to rise.
Setting aside
the debate over whether such growth is healthy or good for the region,
it is clear that it at least needs to be done as sustainably and as
healthily as posible. Diesel-burning power plants meet neither criteria.
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