Relentless list-generating machine Forbes.com now ranks Atlanta the most toxic city in the U.S. because our “combination of air pollution, contaminated land and atmospheric chemicals.”
Not good.
But not all bad.
It’s our best excuse yet to permanently discard our lousy, Brand Atlanta theme song “ATL” and replace it something catchier and more appropriate.
The AJC’s Alison Young had a great piece this weekend about a now-defunct smelter that for decades burned lead at an industrial site just blocks from Morningside. The site where the smelter was located — right where Piedmont Road crosses under I-85 — is now a concrete plant. But the residual pollution caused by the smelter has largely been forgotten by state and federal regulators.
How much lead dust rained down over the years and how far the winds blew is not currently known. But experts say that, despite the passage of decades, the lead would remain relatively near the surface unless the soil has been removed or buried under clean fill dirt. [...]
Tests conducted privately in 2003 show large swaths of the smelter property contained potentially dangerous levels of lead, above 400 parts per million (ppm), according to site plans and a soil removal permit issued by the city of Atlanta to contractors for the property’s owner at that time, Metalico of Georgia Inc. The testing was within the boundaries of the smelter property at 740 Lambert Drive NE.
After reading the story, a source who keeps a close eye on Georgia’s environment told CL this weekend that he’s curious about the smelter’s proximity to Peachtree Creek. If floods seeped up toxins in nearby soil, they could have spread downstream.
Thanks to Young, the Environmental Protection Agency is investigating the matter. Kudos to the journalist for taking on this story on her own initiative and effecting some government action. Snippets don’t do it justice, so go check it out in full.
President George Bush recently attended the G8 Summit in Japan. His kind farewell to other world leaders convinced Americans abroad to continue stitching Canadian flags on their backpacks.
The Telegraph reports, with emphasis added:
The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: “Goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter.”
He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.
Mr Bush, whose second and final term as President ends at the end of the year, then left the meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Hokkaido where the leaders of the world’s richest nations had been discussing new targets to cut carbon emissions.
One official who witnessed the extraordinary scene said afterwards: “Everyone was very surprised that he was making a joke about America’s record on pollution.”
Coming in over the transom: A new “coal-fueled” power plant has been proposed for Washington County. Here are the filthy details.
Statistics released yesterday show that Georgia is home to the nation’s dirtiest power plant, Monroe County’s Plant Scherer. We’ve also got No. 3, Plant Bowen in Bartow County.
The nation’s second-dirtiest power plant is right next door, in Alabama. And all three are operated by Southern Co.
According to one estimate, the nation’s 50 dirtiest power plants account for only 14 percent of our electricity-generating facilities, yet are responsible for 40 percent of the nation’s power-plant pollution.
Perhaps I have Southern Co.’s political influence to thank for my persistent summer cough. Those greenhouse gases are far more treacherous in the warmer months, you know.
