The Walter Scott, Jr. coal plant may go unnoticed, but it is silently leaking toxins from burning coal into our community every day.

 

Perhaps the most well-known form of emission, simply because it can be visible, is the air pollution coming from the stacks of the coal plant. Studies suggest fine particles (PM2.5) from coal combustion are more toxic than other air emissions. These toxic particles can lead to respiratory and cardiac issues like aggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, heart attacks and COPD. These issues not only lead to countless lost days of work and school, but even contribute to premature mortality.

MidAmerican Energy, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, operates one of the largest coal fleets in the country. One such coal plant is right here in Council Bluffs. As a local physician in our community, I feel compelled to speak up and help raise awareness for my neighbors.

MidAmerican Energy’s coal plants create other deadly toxins in our communities, some often flying under the radar. Coal plants create coal ash waste, which is the byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity and is a hazardous substance that can leak into nearby groundwater. This waste contains harmful pollutants like arsenic, mercury, lead, and other toxic metals that can lead to cancer, various diseases, and both physical and neurological harm.

Throughout Iowa, including here in Council Bluffs, MidAmerican has disposed of coal ash waste in at least 24 coal ash ponds (wet ash storage) and landfills (dry ash storage), totaling more than 700 acres in size and up to 135 feet deep.

Combining all utility generation in Iowa, an estimated 19 million cubic yards of coal ash are currently stored at federally regulated disposal sites in Iowa. This amount could fill the MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium nearly 90 times, though the volume of coal ash is likely underreported. Even more concerning, nearly 75% of Iowa coal plants with ash sites are in counties with cancer rates above the state average — and Iowa ranks second nationally in new cancer diagnoses. Long-term exposure to coal ash pollution is linked to various forms of cancer, and our neighbors deserve to know what’s lurking in our community.

It should not take a doctor to tell you that arsenic, boron and mercury are not safe for the health of Iowans. Yet no one has been sounding the alarm. The nitrate issue with our water has dominated the headlines, and rightfully so, but the coal ash harm to our water should also be getting attention for the sake of Iowans.

There is no conflicting research, coal is poisonous and should not be consumed. If coal was a food, the FDA would have banned it a long time ago. Instead, it’s here in our community and ending up in our water and food.

Just a couple years ago, MidAmerican Energy also proposed discarding their coal ash waste from the Neal coal plants in Sioux City directly into the Missouri River. As the neighbors downstream, this would have also had a drastic harm to the health of those in Council Bluffs. Luckily that plan was thwarted, but shows that concern for our natural resources like water and the health of Iowans is not a priority for the for-profit utility.

As a doctor, I spend time telling people to drink more water. But it’s hard to align proper hydration with the thought that our water here in Council Bluffs may not be safe to drink.

Shareholders are now returning to Omaha for the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting to celebrate profits, while simultaneously spending millions of dollars to convince Iowans that they run on 100% renewable energy. This is not only misleading advertising, but directly creates risk for all those who live near coal plants. It is important to remember that their earnings come at the expense of Iowans’ health. With coal plants on both the Omaha and Council Bluffs side of the river, I hope they pause to think about the health impacts every time they take a drink of water.

Our community members deserve to know the truth about the air they breathe and the water they drink or use for recreation. And MidAmerican Energy, and its parent Berkshire Hathaway, owe the community a long-term solution to end the harmful pollution. It’s time for a real plan to close the coal plants and truly transition to a clean energy future for the health of Iowans.