By the way, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of PSLBuzz who are Pro-FP&L and supported their cause, who has been kicking us on the teeth right from the start when we did our posting and arguments about the detrimental effects of coal-fired power plant on their forum.

Thank you!

I was at the meeting from 5PM until 5:30AM that resulted in the denial of the zoning for the coal-fired plant. After 12 hours of testimony, all the commissioners voted against it. Thank you to all who attended and to all who wrote them.

Now I think it is time to write them all a letter thanking them for coming to a wise decision.

Do we have to listen to Rachel Scott and the rest of the representatives with the same information?

As what I have said, only time will tell. Part of the dam is giving up after hurricane wilma.

Here's the link: http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/artic...736_4207511,00.html

If the county will grant this permit to FP&L, 3 power plants right next to lake okeechobee- a disaster waiting to happen! It could be worse than Louisiana!

In addition to this, the power plant will be there for a lifetime, killing us all slowly and the future generation, and we can't do anything about it nor shut it down, nor repair the damage that has been done!

Ponder and let's unite for a good common cause for the entire county. What does the county got to loose without this power plant?

We attended the FPL meeting held at P.O.R.I. yesterday at 07/13/2005.We are so glad that we got invited to the meeting as it seems that FPL representatives have not done much on answering our concerns nor a follow up to the two meetings held at the Fairground for Carlton road/Glades Cut-off road residents. Just like what they keep on telling us, " please fill out the comment form and write your questions and we will get back with you later or email it!

Lately, I have not been getting any response from the email nor questions sent to the representatives, nor have received answers to all the questions we sent since the first meeting.

At the meeting, Mr. Dave Hicks, one of the engineer, mentioned that the anti-pollution devices going to be used in this coal-fired power plant are currently being used right now at the coal-fired power plants in the U.S. So what is really new with the technology - NOTHING AT ALL! The irony of it all is, we will never find the health effects and environmental degradation of the power plant not until it magnifies itself in the future years.

Just like what happened to their nuclear power plants' effects in Florida - http://www.unplugsalem.org/childhood_cancer_in_south_florid.htm - and who would have guess about the bad effects of asbestos? It took us years to find out about it! And this is what Biological or Bioaccumulation tells us and I really think we should not be hasty in making a decision in approving this power plant.

Say NO to FPL Coal burning Plant for PSL County!!
High exposure to air-pollution (specifically emissions from coal-burning power plants can cause heart-attack to patients of diabeties, says a study published in the journal of the American Heart Association.This is alarming given the fact that air quality affects the masses and in this case our seniors will suffer more because of their many health issues.

Edited by author 06-03-2005 12:28 PM
I re-read the FPL 2005-2014 10 year plan sitehttp://www.fpl.com/about/ten_year/contents...ear_site_plan.shtml.

Based on the existing power plant location p.22, FPL needs more power down south and treasure coast needing more electricity is a bunch of baloney to me!

Miami-dade, Broward county and West Palm Beach population are growing ten times more per acre due to high density housing and FPL is running out of location to expand their power plants down south and properties are getting more expensive.More people to fight against being near a power plant, whereas the more remote areas such as Bluefield- cheaper large tracks of properties are available, fewer people to fight against it while turning the county into sacrificial lamb by using old technology that has been retrofitted to accomodate foreign technology!

We attended the FPL workshop on May 23, 2005. A much better workshop than the Dickerson Florida -Mine Workshop. At least the public were able to voice their opinion and we were able to listen to the commissioners questions, though I would prefer the unanswered questions and more questions to be addressed to be put in the internet so people can read all the questions and find the answers to the questions such as:

1. scheduled tours to similar coal fired power plant technology - we signed a piece of paper for tour reservation - no news yet!
2. Comparison between Coal Fired Power plant, natural gas and oil-operated power plant and costs involved.
3. Quantity and quality of Emission
4. Amount of By-products or waste materials involved
5. Site Planning by FPL - factors why St. Lucie County was chosen and why Palm beach get the natural gas instead when its supposed to be diversification of fuel source
6. etc.

Elemental Mercury and Mercury Salts are considered toxic and hazardous chemicals. There are many cases here brought by American mining business and many died of skin diseases. Not to mention the cyanide and arsenic. You'll pity those people esp the children and how they suffered.

Mercury - elemental NIOSH has recommended a value of 0.05 mg/cubic meters. This can be accumulated. It is mobile and can be collected.
Mercury - inorganic . What are you enumerating are the salts of mercury which are classified as hazardous substances and are really soluble in water.Permissible to protect freshwater aquatic life - 0.00057 ug/L as a 24-hr average, never to exceed 0.0017 ug/L. To protect saltwater aquatic life - 0.025 ug/L as a 24-hr average never to exceed 3.7 ug/L. To protect human health - 0.144 ug/L..Total mercury is determined by flameless atomic absorption. Soluble Hg may be determined by 0.45 micron filtration followed by flameless atomic aborption. Disposal method for HgCl2/ Hg(NO3)2/HgSO4 is by incineration followed by recovery/removal of mercury from the gas stream.
Mercury -alkyl and aryl:
Hazardous waste phenylmercury acetate
Priority toxic pollutant - methylmercury. Permissible exposure limits in air is 0.01 mg/cubic meters as 8 hour TWA. To protect freshwater aquatic life - 0.016 ug/L as a 24-hr average, never to exceed 8.8 ug/L. To protect saltwater aquatic life 0.025 ug/L as a 24-hr average, never to exceed 2.8 ug/L. To protect human health 0.2 ug/L. Determination by flameless atomic absorption. Point of attack is the central nervous system, kidneys, eyes , skin. This should be well sealed during transport.
Of course power plant has plenty of by-products when not properly disposed can really cause hazardous effect and can even result to death.
Better ask their raw materials and by-products. Having power plant near should be given feasibility studies. In Subic and some other places here they left their wastes in drums and poor Filipinos esp. the native not knowing what's inside, they got themselves exposed. Arsenic and lead should also be considered. It is a pity for those people who got exposed . It goes thru bloodstreams and eventually to the brain.
It's really nice living in places that are still virgin and untouched by human civilization. Fresh air ,water and clean environment. Fresh and safe food too.
Regards.

Thanks for the reply.
what's an -ic form? The reason I'm asking is that. After the chaos with rock mining- www.norock.org and getting the commissioners to repel the permit to mine near our neighbor. Florida Power and light wants to put a coal-fired power plant at Bluefield area of St. Lucie County. Can you filter mercury vapor, SO2,NO2, arsenic, lead, chromium?
 
I have been reading a lot about coal-fired power plant- http://www.nosmog.org and the hazards it brings to neighborhood. How stable are mercury compounds such as methylmercury.
 
There's one process.: mercury laden vapor washed first with NACl +NaClO solution, sizable mercury is removed. Then naClO in the gas is washed away with fresh water, or dilute na2SO3 solution as required. So with this equation what compounds will be created?
 
Inorganic mercuric compounds such as HgS, HgO and HgCl2- how toxic and stable are these? and do they need high temperature to form mercury into vapors? If they turn into vapors can they be completely trapped by activated charcoal filter?
 
They also mentioned "organic mercury" such as dimethylmercury,phylmercury,ethylmercury and methylmercury. How stable or volatile these compound?

To let FPL build a Coal Burning Power Plant in PSL County will be an environmental disaster for the State, County and its people.The health hazards and its affect on the earth’s ozone levels are well documented. Mercury is a naturally occurring element, largely harmless as long it's left alone. But once it is released into the air, such as through burning coal, it tends to bio-accumulate in fish tissue in its more toxic form, methylmercury. In other words, it never goes away.Women who consume such fish then pass the stuff on to their unborn fetuses or newborns.
I say no to Coal Burning Power Plant and FPL!!!!

I think it stinks that this coal plant will have an effect on Okeechobee county, too. Yet FPL apparently doesn't think it's necessary to get our opinions on the matter. My son has asthma and I certainly don't want any more pollutants in the air he breathes.

Edited by author 05-08-2005 11:05 PM
Got the summary of FPL April 2005 meeting. FPL decided to change the stack to 700 feet meaning higher dispersal of the remaining toxic Mercury in the atmosphere!

Pollution control is questionable when it comes to filtering Mercury. Coal contains Mercury which cannot be destroyed. When coal is heated to certain temperature, it emits mercury in the form of vapor - odorless and colorless. Mercury is known to cause illness, cancer, respiratory problems and even death. Children are most vulnerable due to their small body mass. Pregnant women can accumulate mercury in their body and pass it onto their unborn baby causing stillborn or birth defects.

It's been known that fish accumulate mercury in their body - a process call bioaccumulation. We eat fish and we accumulate mercury in our body.

We drove all the way to the end of Glades Cutoff road on 04/23/2005 and spoke to one of the residents. They told us that they did not know anything about the FPL Power Plant and did not receive any FPL letters about the Power plant. There's more than 26 houses in the area in that corner of Glades Cutoff Road who are left uninformed by FPL. Also, Ms. Scott told me that I will receive a notice of when they are going to hold a meeting with Bluefield and Germany residents so far I have not received any even after asking her about the meeting for those locations.