If Santee Cooper and DHEC get their way, expect to breathe in more than 90 pounds of poisonous mercury a year from now on.

The proposed coal-fired power plant for Florence County will be allowed to release that and other air pollutants under the air quality permit DHEC granted Santee Cooper yesterday.

DHEC claims mercury, ozone, particulate matter and greenhouse gases were addressed, but unless the permit gets turned down, our only savior now may be the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. If they determine “that an alternative energy source is the preferred approach to meet Santee Cooper’s need, DHEC’s air permit will be modified accordingly.”

btw: The American Geophysical Union just said today that oil is not the worst global warming problem, coal is!

Dear President-elect Obama,

It’s time to Repower, Refuel, and Rebuild America.

We need to get our economy moving by building a clean energy future. We applaud your efforts to make energy a top priority, and look forward to working with you toward these goals:

* Move to 100 percent electricity from clean sources such as wind and solar.
* Cut our dependence on oil in half.
* Create 5 million new clean energy jobs.
* Reduce global warming pollution by at least 80 percent.

We call on you to announce a plan that will reach these goals and to use every opportunity including the federal budget and economic stimulus initiatives to get us started.