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KY, TN Among Worst Toxic Pollution States

By AP

NASHVILLE, TN - A recent report shows Kentucky is the worst state in the nation when it comes to toxic air pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The analysis was released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council and looked at emissions from power plants in 2010, the most recent data available.

As for the other states bordering Kentucky, Ohio ranked 2nd, Indiana 4th, West Virginia 5th, Tennessee 11th, Virginia 12th, Missouri 15th and Illinois 16th. Delaware was No. 20 in the group's "Toxic Twenty" states.

Nationally, the report found a 19 percent drop in all air toxics emitted from power plants in 2010, compared with 2009 levels.

The report said one reason for the drop, which included a 4 percent decrease in mercury emissions, is due to an increased use of natural gas by power companies.

Published 02:04 PM, Wednesday Aug. 08, 2012
Updated 09:30 AM, Wednesday Aug. 15, 2012

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- Name: M C.
  
  8/15/2012 11:00:33 AM
  
  It was sarcasm Dan. It was my answer to the pity party about D.E.m is so abused by me. And a slap at Gerald.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/15/2012 5:15:45 AM
  
  He can't help it Dan, anybody that disagrees with him he has to point out how dimb they must be. Ah to know everything.
  
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  Name: Dan t.
  
  8/15/2012 1:51:36 AM
  
  MC I will not copy and paste to call someone stupid. Did you read my post? You say only one group of people is behind this/lol Your the one who should look,read,study before you use someone else quotes to call one stupid... Tree huggers never meet one and dol alot of hunting and never seen someone tiring to hug or have sex with a tree! Has Anyone one this site seen one of these (tree huggers) You need to wake up for there are many factors at play here but your die hard hatered blinds you....
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/14/2012 10:52:52 AM
  
  Nope, Dan t. It is intolerant, self loathing, tree hugging liberals who are obviously behind this. There can be no other explanation. You, to quote D.E.m (verbatim), "or to simple minded to understand the lefts brilliance". ;-)
  
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  Name: Dan t.
  
  8/13/2012 10:01:05 PM
  
  Anyone ever think this might just be a ploy by the NATURAL GAS producers to get people to demand we switch more plants to using gas instead of coal? Natural gas prices are at the lowest prices in years & they expect prices to stay low over the next few years. Plus once the power plants start using a large percentage of the gas on the market what you think is going to happen to YOUR cost to heat your homes? Major percentage of our coal fired plants are along the Ohio river & gang best I know 60 to 70 percent of the time our winds across Kentucky comes out of the south though the south west which blow/carries the flumes into other states> Might be off base on my thoughts but what the h@ll.
  
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  Name: eddy a.
  
  8/12/2012 9:06:36 PM
  
  If KY would stop smoking all their cigarettes we could have cleaner air.
  
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  Name: Judy T.
  
  8/12/2012 12:08:37 AM
  
  Gerald C: My comments about mental capacity were based on the data I found on Mercury and Lead effects on the body. Has anyone come us with a good reason why we have so many ADD kids these days? Why Johnny can't read? Could the effects of lead and mercury on our bodies have anything to do with it? Have you noticed how many people will buy anything they are told and never use their brain power to apply reason to the statements. It doesn't matter if they are conservative or liberal, they seem to never think, just repeat what they hear. One of my favorite pasttimes was listening to people quote Rush, I don't think they even noticed that they are doing it. Both sides have us quoting things that are not exactly true, just partial truths to make their point. I like talk radio so I tried the religious talk radio thinking they would tell the whole truth with all of the facts, WRONG - they are just as deceptive as the others. Reading your description of liberals will also fit many conservatives, especially the evangelicals.
  
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  Name: Gerald C.
  
  8/11/2012 5:54:55 PM
  
  These comments from the O' so brilliant Liberals is the reason I detest them so very much. Their condescending attitude and utter contempt for anyone who happens to disagree with them. They will tell you they are so very open minded and so very tolerant of ideas. But in reality they will just call you stupid if you do not agree with them. Watch any Liberal on TV and you will see them do exactly what you see here. They look down on anyone who does not agree with them and will always throw in some remark about that persons mental capacity. Thus, we are left with a Left that tells us to question, as long as we don't question their moral authority. They say they want to know the views of others, but reject any that disagree with their own pre-determined conclusions out of hand. They want us to Tolerate any opinion under the sun - except those opinions that aren't ones of Tolerance; their brand of Tolerance, specifically. They want us to consider all sides, but will happily make a snap-judgment about anyone who slips a toe over that very line. Clearly, that doesn't make any friggin sense. It goes way beyond mere hypocrisy, and deep into the realm of flat-out irrationality. We're supposed to listen to Rev. Wright tell us why he hates America, and that's good. But if any of us dares to pipe up with reasons why he might be wrong, we're being "Intolerant"? Does anybody else see a problem here??? That's why even the Liberals detest the Liberals, because, as Liberals, they are philosophically opposed to Intolerance, and it is they themselves who are the most Intolerant of any single group today. The can not, and will not, Tolerate Intolerance - even from themselves.
  
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  Name: Judy T.
  
  8/11/2012 10:37:11 AM
  
  Independent t: Could it be that people listen to Limbaugh and Robertson because of the Mercury pollution? It is thought to mess up your reasoning skills. Think about it, why else would people buy into what they say? Lead exposure causes learning problems and how many people still donate to Robertson even after they learned that their donations to buy a plane to send food to Africa was for the plane he needed to move equipment around for his gold mines. Kinda makes me wonder....
  
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  Name: Dan t.
  
  8/10/2012 10:24:30 PM
  
  While done AP reporter! Just wonder where the facts came from? Just sent 15 days in western Colorado(my 7th. trip to the same area) and was amazed at how the visibility was so poor up in the mountains. Do not blame this on the fires because we were when 75 of the Utah boarder.Opp's forgot one big fact..... Kentucky went against Lord Obama in the last election. Here comes his pet EPA dogies...
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/10/2012 9:54:56 PM
  
  Don't you know Kyle if you have even the smallest opinion against something left of center you are either a rush zombie evil conservative or to simple minded to understand the lefts brilliance. Remember if you disagree then you want dirty water and air because you have no conscience.
  
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  Name: Kyle W.
  
  8/10/2012 8:30:53 PM
  
  Well MC that is a first. I have never been called a conservative before. But you are wrong. I have been outside Kentucky alot even outside the US. And while in say Southern California you couldn't see two miles ahead of you due to the heavy smog. So sorry to break up your pathetic attempt at labeling people you don't know. But I have a hard time believing Kentucky has more pollution than California or New York City.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/10/2012 7:34:55 PM
  
  " Kentucky will never leave it's position as number one in toxic air pollution." I guess you think that is smart on our part if you didn't mean it was dumb. I happen to love Kentucky so i'm not going anywhere. You on the other hand seem to think your'e too smart to live here. Mabye too much msnbc or huffington post.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/10/2012 7:20:23 PM
  
  So i guess your first comment was to imply that people who disagree with you are not stupid?
  
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  Name: Independent T.
  
  8/10/2012 6:34:57 PM
  
  I think so, Judy, but listening to Limbaugh and Robertson does more damage (smile).
  
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  Name: Judy T.
  
  8/10/2012 4:48:16 PM
  
  Don't heavy metals like mercury and lead have something to do with less than adequate intellectual development?
  
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  Name: Independent T.
  
  8/10/2012 1:32:00 PM
  
  What do renowned scientists Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson have to say about this? No such thing as pollution?
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/10/2012 1:18:42 PM
  
  Uh, and you could always move where liberals don't think your stupid for saying the things they said you were going to say before you say them. (But notice I didn't call you stupid, that was an admission or realization on your part)
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/10/2012 12:32:36 PM
  
  Uh, you could always move to place where we all are not so stupid.
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/10/2012 11:58:16 AM
  
  Ah, yes, conservative persecution complex. Notice how I didn't say everyone's SUV should be taken away, only that conservatives will claim some nefarious and nebulous group of liberals want to, in response to anything reported negative on the environment. Kyle has come along and validated my assertion that this will just be dismissed as environmental hogwash by those on the right. There is no solution D.E.m. We are damned. Kentucky will never leave it's position as number one in toxic air pollution. The tree huggers lose, you and your side wins. I don't see what you are getting so mad about. You should be proud.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/10/2012 5:30:22 AM
  
  Watch out Kyle that sounded kind of conservative there and we can't have that on here.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/10/2012 5:23:13 AM
  
  Well mabye M C will explain it to us again.
  
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  Name: Kyle W.
  
  8/9/2012 10:59:36 PM
  
  This just sounds like more Obama BS propaganda. Now if you said everyone was choking on weed/meth fumes or smoke that i might believe.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/9/2012 6:46:25 PM
  
  Oh and you may find this hard to beleive but some people have no choice but to own full size trucks on account of the work they do and trust me they don't get good gas mileage but they get the job done. And the way i see it is nobody's business what other people drive.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/9/2012 6:29:06 PM
  
  I'm glad i have a liberal to explain things to me since i am so dumb to disagree with you. But were is your solution? Don't you (like you say to conservatives) have some talking points to parrot.
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/9/2012 6:19:27 PM
  
  I will be sure to add the patronizing straw man setup technique to my next conservative impersonation though. Thanks for reminding me of that one.
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/9/2012 6:10:51 PM
  
  It was sarcasm there, DEM, sorry if I stole your thunder. I kind of think the situation is a little more nuanced than either getting rid of the EPA and burning as much coal as possible and sucking down toxic pollution or getting rid of SUVs and making everyone ride bicycles. I think there is probably a solution somewhere in between, don't you?
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/9/2012 6:05:26 PM
  
  Hey i know lets double gas and energy prices. That way we can all feel better about ourselves. Close all the coal mines and just put those people on welfare. I just can't beleive some wonderful honest lawmaker hasn't thought of a way to develop our energy needs out of daisies and sawgrass. I wouldn't worry about it we have a government agency looking into it so i'm sure the problem will be solved very efficiently and very soon. Not to worry.
  
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  Name: D.E. m.
  
  8/9/2012 5:00:03 PM
  
  Well i guess we could close all the plants in calvert and make people ride bikes so you could feel better M C. I'm sure you don't drive or use electricity. How about some wind turbines or solar plants would that make you feel better? What would someone as smart as yourself suggest?
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/9/2012 4:15:36 PM
  
  I'll just go ahead and say it so the conservatives don't have too: Yeehaw! "Dat dat-burned EPA sure isn't gonna tell us what to do!" "This is probably just propaganda from the liberal media trying to redistribute our wealth and take our SUVs away and make everybody ride bicycles like Chinamen." "Global warming is a hoax! Al Gore flies around in a jet and has a big mansion!" "Clean air is a job killer!" "Choke on those toxic fumes liberals, DIE, DIE, DIE!" Did I forget anything? Oh yeah, "WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!"
  
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