| Re: I'm considering being a vegetarian... [message #284776] |
Sat, 10 June 2006 15:35 |
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Kevan Smith lamely wrote:
<...>
> Anyway, those plants do not supply me with electricity.
You have no knowledge of how electric utilities operate, much less from which particular plant(s) your power comes. Electricity isn't a localized product; it's a distributed product with various supplies on a regionl grid. Your local coal (lignite) plant is but one source of power on the grid.
It would be very inefficient to rely on only one source of power considering the fluctuations of power use in any given time frame. You would also face routine interruptions of service (i.e., no electricity) during periods of plant turn arounds. Utility companies or agencies trade (buy, sell) energy among each other, and you have a (normally) steady supply of power regardless of local plant operation at a more efficient cost -- and it's quite likely you're getting most of your power from nuclear plants.
> There's a
> land-bound, coal-burning plant about 180 miles south of me that does
> that.
Most lignite plants, especially ones that have been in service for more than a decade, emit immense pollution, and that doesn't even get into the aspects of (strip) mining it. Burning lignite contributes methylmercury into lakes and rivers (making some fish and seafood unsafe for certain people to eat), particulates into the air, and is thought to be the cause of acid rain. Comparably, nuclear power is much cleaner and better for the air and water -- you should be glad your grid contains nuclear power plants.
http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/18.php
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| Re: I'm considering being a vegetarian... [message #284786 ] |
Sat, 10 June 2006 22:43 |
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Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)
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