Derrell Edward Slaughter- 2"d Vice President of the NAACP Lansing Branch 

248-910-2741 

Slaugh35@gmail.com 

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My name is Derrell Slaughter and I proudly serve as the 

2"d Vice-President for the Lansing, Michigan NAACP branch. I stand before you today as a 

person gravely concerned about the quality of life for the American citizens of today and 

tomorrow. I fear that future generations many of which have not been born yet, will grow up in a 

world where basic resources like clean water and air will be polluted and scarce. Instead, these 

natural resources will be reserved for those individuals that will have the means to obtain them. 

Thus, guaranteeing them a much higher quality of life than the average person. 

The inequity issues that will be caused by the lack of available clean resources will be owned by 

our unborn children and grandchildren. Because ofthis, I feel that the people of this era must 

oblige themselves to begin to address the elements in our society today that will limit the 

availability of natural resources for tomorrow. Coal-fired power plants happen to be the top 

culprit in creating this bleak future. 

Coal-fired plants emit massive amounts of human harming chemicals into the air every day. 

According to the American Lung Association's report on coal-fired plants, Toxic Air, coal-fired 

plants release 386,000 tons of84 separate hazardous air pollutants. All of which happen to spew 

from over 400 plants across the county. Some of the chemicals that are part of those emissions 

include Arsenic, Mercury, Radium, and Hydrogen Chloride. These chemicals can cause 

everything from skin irritation to lung and bone car.cer in humans. The most unfortunate aspect 

of the coal-fired plants is who gets most aliecteJ by the chemicals that are spewed out. These 

effects c.re even more severe in children, whc are the future of our country. 

According to the National Black Child Development Institute's Fall2011 newsletter, Child 

Health ldk, 68"1o of all African Americans he within 30 miles ;Jf a coal-fired plant. When you 

get do\vn to a tt.ree mile radius, according to the NAACP's 2011 report Coal Blooded, you find 

that there are 8.1 million people that live near a coal-fired plant. Of those individuals 36.4% or 

2.94 million happen to be people of color. Coupled with the close proximity to coal-fired plants 

comes w:~h some startling statistics. Particulate soot from Goal-fired power plants cost a family 

of bur ac: average of over $500 per yea; in e.,pcnses and damages associated with increased 

hospital admissions, premature deaths and treatments for asthma, respiratory ailments, and 

cardiovascular problems, among others. A recent study, commissioned by the Michigan 

Environmental Council also estimated national impacts of Michigan's old coal power plants, 

finding that they are responsible for $5.4 billion in health care costs-- mostly in the Great Lakes 

region where much ofthe pollution falls out. While people of color have much to worry about 
with the harmful chemicals coming tfom coal-fired plants they have even more to worry about 

with the role coal-fired plants play in accelerating climate change through carbon emissions. 

People of color are very much susceptible to the negative effects of climate change. One of the 

most obvious negative effects tfom climate change is increased temperature. The Commission to 

Engage African-Americans on Climate Change has stated that African Americans are twice as 

likely to live in cities deemed as heat islands compared to Whites. As a result, Atfican 

Americans suffer from heat related deaths at rate of 150 to 200 percent more than their White 

counterparts, according to the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative's 2008 

report, Climate of Change. We ab:o happen to be more susceptible to the extreme weather events 

that climate change causes. According to National Wildlife Association's 2009 report, More 

Extreme Weather, African Americans comprise 20 percent of the population in the eight states 

of the hurricane zone. They also note that 56% of all African Americans live in the South or in 

urban areas. In order to stop some of the effects that climate change is having on our planet and 

on people of color, we need to begin to hold coal-fired plants to more prudent carbon emission 

standards. 

I believ•o :hat the EPA's ca~bon standarc ruk for ~-,ew power plants is a step in the right direction. 

It helps poteet :·uture and current benerations [,·om the tarmful ~;Teets of carbor. emissions and 

clir,m<~ change. The rule is prudcr,~. fair, ami falls nght in line v.ith where this country is headed 

in terrr.s of energy use estimates a:•d trends. ,\s clean energy tec:mologies become the standard 

source of our country's energy capacity, we must o::,lige those w:1o want to cominue to use 

carbon iaC:en er,crg) sourc<s witl1 the task o~· significantly r~ducc their emissions. 

I truly hope that the EPA passes more rules to ensure a high quality of life for all people, 

regardless of resources availability. 

ThaL:k yv1.