Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, July 24, 2008
Invest in cleaner energy
The greater good is having industry take complete responsibility for its industrial decisions and their impact. Every industrial decision will produce byproducts. If Dairyland Power, which in my opinion is acting like a for-profit company, makes a business decision that will permanently alter the landscape, the air and the water of Vernon County, they need to be held accountable for that decision.
If the Department of Natural Resources approves Dairyland’s practices by issuing permits for “disposal” of industrial byproducts without requiring 100 percent recycling and safe reuse practices to protect our land, water and air, then are either of them serving the greater good?
The greater good is best served when we stop allowing the “for-profit” generation of industrial “waste” and the pretense of disposal in a landfill and instead start valuing the whole process.
If you can’t deal responsibly with the entire mess your decision makes, then find alternatives. Renewables are there waiting for you to embrace them, Dairyland. There are many customers ready to leave you and buy from companies that invest more sustainably. Look at the big picture, Dairyland. An industrial waste landfill is a huge mistake for Dairyland and Vernon County. It is definitely not for the greater good.
When the carbon dioxide controls kick in, the scrubber will become obsolete. Companies with any wisdom have shut their “Genoas” down and are retraining their employees for the renewable energy industry. The whole world is watching.
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