EPA Atlanta Clean Power Hearing Testimony 

Marlene Taylor 

My name is Marlene Taylor and I'm from Knoxville, Tennessee. I work as 

a freelance writer and journalist. Thank you for allowing me to testify today. 

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most beautiful 

places on Earth, is under serious attack- again. First it was the lumber 

companies that sliced and diced their way through the mountains. Thankfully 

and not a moment too soon, President Roosevelt set aside the land for future 

generations-- like me. 

Today's threat is pollution that affects every aspect of the park- the air, 

the soil, the water, and all life. 

I grew up visiting the park often, hiking its trails or picnicking beside 

one of the many mesmerizing streams that flows down from the peaks, and 

breathing in that wonderful, oxygenated air. Those visits instilled in me 

something I can't fully explain, other than to say that each time I moved away 

from East Tennessee, I missed them terribly. I remember tearing up in a 

California bookstore just seeing a photograph of the Blue Ridge Mountains 

swathed in those familiar shades of blue and gray. Nothing ever seemed quite 

as beautiful as they are. 

The scientists who evaluate the air and the air currents tell us that the 

park is downwind of many sources of air pollution, including power plants, 

factories, vehicles and agriculture - sources that are both nearby and regional, 

such as pollution stacks along the Ohio River and industrial cities of the 

Midwest and Southeast (includingKnoxville.) 

( www.nature.nps.gov /air /permits /aris /grsm /index.cfm). 
"Power plants" and "pollution stacks" are the key terms here. Burning 

coal is the major contributor of not just one type of air pollution but nearly all 

types: sulfur dioxide causes acidification of soil and water. Nitrogen oxides 

cause ground-level ozone. Mercury causes brain damage and heart problems 

and arsenic causes cancer. Then there's lead, other heavy metals, and 

particulate matter, which we breathe into our lungs. 

(http: I !www. ucsusa.org I clea nene rgy/coalvswind /cO 2 .html). 

Particulates also are why people in Knoxville can no longer see Mt. 

LeConte; nor do visitors in the park have clear vistas as they try to sightsee 

their way across the mountains. 

The toxin levels of acid deposition in the park exceed what scientists call 

a "critical load," meaning levels have surpassed those that are not likely to be 

harmful and are indeed inflicting damage, particularly on trees and aquatic 

life. 

Do you want to go fly-fishing in a mountain stream? If we continue 

burning coal and emitting sulfuric acid, that likely will not be possible because 

neither the trout nor the insects they eat can survive in acidic water. 

Want to go on a wildflower hike-- like millions of other visitors-- to see 

rare flowering plants found only in this park? You should go now. And don't 

expect that your descendants will be able to do the same. 

Ozone is rough on these delicate herbs, burning away their leaves. 

These plants are not tough pioneer species but require very special conditions 

and are as delicate as a Lady's Slipper. 

We often have Orange Alert Days in Knoxville, when the media tell us to 

limit our time outdoors because of high levels of ground-level ozone. We are 
advised to keep our children in doors because their sensitive lung tissue can 

be burned and irreparably damaged by the ground-level ozone. I actually 

know how that feels -- I myself experience some shortness of breath and 

develop a slight cough when I'm outside during those times. 

And I can tell you that on some days, you can't drive in Knoxville with 

your windows down. For me, I get a headache from the emissions and have to 

seal myself in, even on a beautiful spring or fall day. 

I want to ask: What were we thinking when we ignored the harmful 

effects of coal-burning and didn't' do enough to keep us from reaching this 

level of pollution? 

Instead I respectfully ask that you, the Environmental Protection 

Agency, please fulfill your mission to protect our environment- to 

significantly slow and reduce the amount of coal being burned and restrict its 

use as an energy source. 

In essence, to take action immediately and, at the very least, follow the 

steps President Obama laid out in his Climate Action Plan. 

Thank you. 

Marlene Taylor 

3917 Greenleaf Avenue 

Knoxville, TN 37919 

Taylor8246@bellsouth.net