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August 14, 2008

Dirty Money: How much does your state rep accept from the coal industry?

On this site, you can search by zip code to see exactly how much moolah each state rep accepts from the coal industry. Why do we care? Because coal-fired plants are the largest remaining source of mercury emissions in the country. In one year, the average coal plant generates 170 pounds of mercury, when just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury dropped into a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. Plus 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in 1 out of 100 people who drink water contaminated by it.

So, screw in your CFLs (if you live in a region powered by coal, like Boulder, even just one CFL will reduce coal consumption) and let your congressman (or woman) know that their community doesn’t support coal. 

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