Junk Senator + Junk Coal Ash = Junk Science

[XLFD]

Illinois' Assistant Majority Leader for the US Senate, Dick Durbin, recently has made some proclamations to vigorously fight attempts by the SS Badger, the last coal-fired ship in operation in these United States, to avert the deadline imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency to comply with recently imposed regulations on its discharges into the lake. 

 

In a 3-22-2012 letter to the owner of the S.S. Badger, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that he will actively oppose the company's efforts to secure a permit that would allow the S.S. Badger to continue dumping over 500 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan each year. Durbin's announcement comes after his meeting with the President and CEO of the Lake Michigan Carferry Service, Robert Manglitz, who proposed a plan to convert the S.S. Badger to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the hopes of securing a new permit to continue operations.

“The four years since receiving your current EPA permit have been more than enough time for you to develop a credible plan for eliminating coal ash discharge,” Durbin wrote. “All you could produce for me was far-fetched LNG theory which has no chance to actually become a reality. Because of your continued, long-term refusal to clean up your dangerous operations, I will actively oppose your new permit application."

 

Previously in November, Dick Durbin wrote more letters to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other Senators saying: 

 

I am writing today to express my strong opposition to language that was included in the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act, that would exempt “vessels of historic significance” from EPA regulation of discharge. 

The amendment directly applies to the 58 year-old S.S. Badger car ferry, which is the last coal-fired ferry operating in the United States.  As the ship sails from its home of Ludington, MI, to Manitowoc, WI, it dumps 509 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan each year.  The coal ash contains arsenic, lead, and mercury.  All of these chemicals can cause cancer when consumed in drinking water, cause serious damage to fish populations, and poison fish that are part of our food supply.  

Under an agreement negotiated between the owners of the SS Badger and the US EPA, the current EPA vessel general permit gives the SS Badger a December 2012 deadline to retrofit the ferry with a new boiler that would prevent further coal ash dumping. While the owners of the SS Badger had over four years to make upgrades to the ferry, it now appears that they have quietly been working to either extend this deadline or gain a permanent waiver from EPA regulation. 

 Lake Michigan is the primary source of drinking water for over 10 million people and is a key component of the $7 billion Great Lakes fishing industry.  If the House language were to become law, the Badger will receive the permanent exemption from EPA regulation that its owners have been seeking and the ship will be allowed to continue polluting Lake Michigan.  

I urge the Commerce Committee to oppose this effort to provide statutory protection for the Badger to continue dumping coal ash. 

Sincerely, 

Richard J Durbin

 

Dick claims that the coal ash contains arsenic, lead, and mercury, chemical elements that have a bad reputation.  Other sources have claimed the ash was an EPA-listed hazard to the environment.  Dick isn't a scientist or lab technician, I'm not either, but let's look at the facts with as much scientific ability we can muster, by looking at past tests and facts-- and not by looking past tests and facts.

 

Arsenic, Lead and Mercury

 

A sample of the SS Badger's Fly Ash and Bottom Ash (light and heavy residues, respectively), yielded the following results in a test by a Minnesota lab back in 2006:

 

You will note it's for fly ash, the results for the element Arsenic is at least 1/125th below the action level, the result for Lead is at least 1/10th of the action level, and the result for Mercury is at least 1/20th of the action level, needed to be exceeded before a problem exists.  Note the "<" also indicates the result could be a bit lower.  For the more dense Bottom Ash:

Again the levels of the results, are at the same percentages of the fly ash.  This would further indicate that the "<" may signify that the maximum amount may be a bit greater than the actual figure, if available.  But let us not be content with just one result, after all, even scientists make mistakes.  Her is another test initiated in 2008 by LMC utilizing another independent analysis by a Michigan laboratory.

 

In this test, the results either detect the exact amount, or come out a "Not Detected".  You will note that the bottom ash has no trace of any of the metals Durbin described in his letters, similarly those metals also fail to turn up in the fly ash:

 

Arsenic, Lead and Mercury are never detected or quantitized in either test, both accepted by the EPA, but apparently not by Dick Durbin and the rabid environmentalists that send the Senator letters themselves.  If they want to demonize the coal ash, they could point at the Barium, Copper, and Cadmium levels, but these don't come with the negative baggage the first three elements have.  Find the rest of the results here:  http://www.epa.gov/r5water/npdestek/badger/pdfs/Attachment-D-1.pdf

 

Radiation from Coal Ash?

 

Other alarmists will point to scientific research headlines that makes the claim that coal-ash-is-more-radioactive-than-nuclear-waste.  But let's look within the article: 

 

"The result: estimated radiation doses ingested by people living near the coal plants were equal to or higher than doses for people living around the nuclear facilities...individuals living near coal-fired installations are exposed to a maximum of 1.9 millirems of fly ash radiation yearly. To put these numbers in perspective, the average person encounters 360 millirems of annual "background radiation" from natural and man-made sources, including substances in Earth's crust, cosmic rays, residue from nuclear tests and smoke detectors. " Other risks like being hit by lightning, are three or four times greater than radiation-induced health effects from coal plants."

 

Put in perspective, this study more makes the case for nuclear power, than makes the case that being closely exposed to coal ash is hazardous.  Here is a list of those millirems of radiation that you are exposed to in a year:

 

So that if you live next door to a coal fired power plant, the maximum dosage of radiation you would receive from coal ash radiation would be equal to 1/2 of 1% of the radiation you receive from other sources.  This is considerably less when you live next door to the last coal-fired ship.  The 1.9 mrems maximum you would get is considerably less radiation than you would receive from living in a wood house rather than a brick house (40 mrem/ year).  Yet, I don't see Dick Durbin writing letters to demolish the brick and concrete buildings in the nation's capital, and replacing them with wooden buildings in order to protect the environment and the people that have to work there.

 

Protecting Your Ash

So, Dick Durbin, can you please once again explain why you would corrupt the science that has vindicated the coal ash discharges of the SS Badger by showing they have no negative environmental impact?  Sure, the carferry dumping in the lake can be disturbing, but can't we also say the amount of pollutants put in the environment by all the cars going around Lake Michigan is disturbing as well?  Those cars that will have to go through your state because the carferry may not be no longer running?

 

And perhaps this is why the Senator doth protest too much; those tourists will not be able to bypass going through the thoroughfares of his state, spending money like they do up in our area.  He is putting the potential benefits to his constituents ahead of the very real benefits that the Michiganders and Wisconsinites get from the SS Badger's continued operation.  Is this not a conflict of interest that the Senator should make known when he actively throws up roadblocks and misinformation to support his cause and appeal to his constituency?  I think so, but I'm not a political scientist either. 

[Willy]

X

Another excellent job of reporting information. I'm sure Durbin will pi_s off the wind turbine industry because they rely on the Badger to bring supplies across the lake instead of transporting them thru Chicago. A lot of trucking enterprises use the Badger as well.

[XLFD]

Thanks, Willy, it seemed to me that Durbin's persistent tack against the SS Badger was due more to some other motive rather than his stated sympathy for the environment and more akin to the benefits that would seem to accrue to his area if the Badger actually went under.  The articles I read covering his opposition to the Badger, even from Manitowoc and Ludington papers, never wanted to acknowledge the fact that his opposition was likely based on regional politics rather than his 'concern' for Lake Michigan or the environment in general.

[XLFD]

Dick Durbin is the kind of person that thinks 'climate change' is causing tornadoes and that making everyone drive electric cars and making one ship not burn coal is going to solve the problem.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/04/06/durbin_on_spendin...

[Willy]

I guess there is no cure for stupid. China alone produces 3,000,000,000 tons of coal per year while the Badger uses 5880. Is he going to curtail China as well?  People have got to understand that if we in the U.S. could convert entirely to wind, solar or even hamsters in wheels that the only thing that will be accomplished is that the World would then be run by China because we would be so weak economically that the only position for us would be a submissive posture and we all would be learning how to speak Mandarin. According to my calculations the Badger averages around 42 tons of coal a day [figuring for the half day runs], while the World uses more than 19,198,082 tons a day. I think the Senator is getting money under the table from Lake Express because they would love to see the Badger shut down.

[Robert]

Two words...Dick Head.

[AQUAMAN]

Dittos Robert!

[masonco]

I've said that all along. Thank you for following through on this. And yes I keep saying he's getting funding from someone to do it. How in the world did Muskegon get funding for "their" undependable ferry?

[XLFD]

Millions in Federal loans back in 2004, likely forgiveable after a certain period of time, Masonco.  The government did not just start picking winners after Obama took office.