In One Year Power plants increase toxic releases by 17 million pounds from 1998 to 1999 Southern Company, one of the nation's largest utility holding companies was responsible for over 132 million pounds of toxic chemicals released into the environment in 1999, according to a new federal report released last week. This is a 16 percent increase over the company's 1998 releases, which totaled 114 million pounds. Electric utilities nationwide ranked second in total toxic emissions, releasing over one billion pounds of toxics into the air, land, or water. The numbers reveal that in fact the company's pollution is on the rise. Public health suffers when a company as big as Southern Company does not live up to its commitments to reducing pollution.
Toxic emissions carry real health risks.
On April 3, a broad coalition of state, local and national public health and environmental organizations launched the Clean Up Southern Company campaign. Southern Company is among the biggest and most polluting power companies in the nation. The campaign is asking Southern Company to take two concrete steps to improve its clean air record. First, they ask Southern to direct its affiliates to settle litigation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has sued the company for alleged Clean Air Act violations at ten power plants in the Southeast. Second, the groups ask Southern Company to support federal legislation to clean up the nation's power plants to a level that will ensure protection of public health and the environment.