Lead in water from power plants must be addressed
Recently in the Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh’s lead problems have regained their rightful place in local conversation (Jan. 23, “Lead Levels Up Again in City Water Lines, Latest Tests Show”). Lead levels in Pittsburgh’s water have risen from 15 parts per billion to a disconcerting 21 ppb. In 2014, a switch in corrosion control chemicals led to further erosion of lead pipes and solder.
While the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has since switched the corrosion control chemicals to a less damaging composition, another less publicized factor is contributing to lead levels in the rivers as well as eroding Pittsburgh’s pipes — coal-fired power plants. Coalfired power plants, like the one in Cheswick, are dumping hundreds of pounds of lead into the Allegheny River. Byproducts from the plant, like bromides, erode lead pipes and the lead solder present in many nonlead pipes. Puzzlingly, no Pittsburgh elected officials have spoken out on this matter.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection allowed the Cheswick plant to operate under expired permits. The DEP needs to move quickly to update Cheswick’s water pollution permit, which would limit the amount of toxins that can be dumped into the Allegheny River. The draft permit should be released for public comment immediately and finalized by the end of the year, and must implement the 2015 federal rules limiting water pollution from power plants.
It is essential that the DEP, our elected officials and the corporations running these coalfired power plants be held accountable for their disregard of the safety of our water. CASEY MEDNIS
Regent Square Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz crimes and abuses).
It’s a matter of natural and settled law that information extracted by torture is ethically and legally wrong in itself. It is not only a crime, but also any evidence extracted by torture is inadmissible in court. All that it proves is that there is nothing that one man cannot do to another man when he has him at his mercy — worse if it’s a woman.
Also, Mr. Saccone professes to believe in the union of church and state. The separation of church and state is not only assured in our Constitution, but it has precedents that go back to the French Revolution, the Enlightenment and beyond. Even a casual reading of the Federalist Papers or the writings of Thomas Paine would disabuse Mr. Saccone of this delusion once and for all.
Conor Lamb, a distinguished attorney and former Marine Corps officer, would be doing Mr. Saccone a kindness to remind him that anyone standing for public office should have already known these things. SAMUEL HAZO
Upper St. Clair
“I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” said Donald J. Trump on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2016. This boastful statement by then-candidate Trump showed great self-awareness of his power and an accurate understanding of his base andthe Republican Congress.
Now substitute the words “shoot somebody” with any number of President Trump’s acts and utterances and it is still true; his base and the Republican Congress stand with him
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regardless of his despicable behavior.
The president is alleged to have had an affair with a stripper while married and to have paid her off before the election. Hebragged about sexual assault. He insulted an entire continent. He categorized an entire culture of immigrants as rapists. He has lied about everything from the sizeof the inauguration crowd to Russian efforts to disrupt our democracy. The offensiveness goes onand on.
Now imagine if just of these indiscretions had been committed by the prior administration. “Saturday Night Live” recently framed the question well: “What even matters anymore?” Well, all of it matters to meand I suspect to many of you.
What can you do when Congress and the president are complicit? Vote, get other people to vote, and give support to good candidates for office. Speak out to Congress to let its members know that while it may not matter to them, it does to you, and you are very aware of what they are supporting. PATRICIA DOODY
Swissvale