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Many Native Americans live next to power plants

AP via xfinity -- MOAPA, Nev. — Beyond the ancestral hunting fields and the rows of small, sparse homes, the cemetery at the Moapa River Indian Reservation sprawls across a barren hill with the tombstones of tribal members who died young.

Their deaths haunt this small desert community outside Las Vegas. Children play indoors, afraid they might be next. Hoping to keep out the air they believe is killing their people, tribal elders keep their windows shut and avoid growing food on the land where their ancestors once found sustenance.

The Moapa Paiutes need not travel far to stare down their perceived enemy: The coal-powered plant blamed for polluting the southern Nevada reservation's air and water is visible from nearly every home.

"Everybody is sick," said Vicki Simmons, whose brother worked at the Reid G

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Submitted Jul 04, 2012 By: NHLiveFree

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NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,105 Points:1,624,380 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 11:15:05 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse Too bad an intelligent news article on power plants, i.e. ENERGY, attracts all the wingnuts even a day or two after the Full Buck Moon. Of course, it must only be coincedence that Native Amerincans tend to get the 'short' end of the stick more often than not. Some 'white old men' here certainly speak with forked tongue!!!
LetemEatCake Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:5,609 Points:1,206,580 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 10:11:53 PM Ignore LetemEatCake Report Abuse Agree, they should convert the power plant to NG. Much cleaner than coal!
GetMaxCashBack Veteran Author Trenton Posts:386 Points:165,675 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 9:42:18 AM Ignore GetMaxCashBack Report Abuse That's not good. Another reason to get rid of coal.
leemun Champion Author Utah Posts:5,540 Points:1,041,170 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 7:50:44 AM Ignore leemun Report Abuse Really? [Edited by: leemun at 7/5/2012 8:53:48 AM EST]
Norm10 Champion Author British Columbia Posts:3,342 Points:162,925 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 7:23:21 AM Ignore Norm10 Report Abuse They should convert to natural gas.
Caduceus26 Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:3,906 Points:764,335 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 6:02:01 AM Ignore Caduceus26 Report Abuse Sounds like the same kind of thing that happened with African-Americans in the 'South back in the 50's-60's when trash incinerators, dumps and slaughter houses where located in those communities.
Tehbob Champion Author California Posts:2,301 Points:458,580 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 3:01:38 AM Ignore Tehbob Report Abuse Interesting that DRpepperTX mentions the constitution...Native Americans were not even considered "Men" in that "All men are created equal part. Just saying.
LilRedWagonIN Champion Author Indiana Posts:7,786 Points:1,557,085 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 11:23:11 PM Ignore LilRedWagonIN Report Abuse Who knew? The modern version of the typhoid-infested blanket.
thizben All-Star Author Phoenix Posts:605 Points:285,395 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 10:50:58 PM Ignore thizben Report Abuse sad
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:8,953 Points:754,120 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 9:43:22 PM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse SammyAdams, great post! Sadly his supporters deny the divide and conquer scenario Obama and the Left so dearly love to use. Another prime example of this happened back in March when Obama granted, for the first time ever, the wishes of the Northern Arapahoe Tribe to kill American Bald Eagles, protected by law from everyone except those Obama chooses. Showing Obama's desire to create separate laws based on your tribe or race. This of course is right in the face of the Constitution, you know "all men equal under the law". Obama has stated that he believes the Constitution should say what government CAN do, but the Constitution was meant as a constraint (what government cannot do (limited). That is the heart and soul of his agenda, and one of the tactics is to divide and conquer through separatism. The EPA is very effective as a tool to allow this to happen.
mikaye Champion Author Cleveland Posts:3,839 Points:866,385 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 9:01:32 PM Ignore mikaye Report Abuse always are pushed to the worst areas then are shafted when energy sources are found on their lands and cheated
listerone Champion Author Boston Posts:3,385 Points:879,765 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 8:07:20 PM Ignore listerone Report Abuse This belongs on a public health forum
RRBC Champion Author Victoria Posts:2,715 Points:531,015 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 7:44:53 PM Ignore RRBC Report Abuse Sad story.
TruthMatters Champion Author New Jersey Posts:2,525 Points:535,710 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 7:24:10 PM Ignore TruthMatters Report Abuse How these true Americans are treated is a disgrace to this country!
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,105 Points:1,624,380 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 7:19:36 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse The full moon is rising and those that howl at the moon and rant here are out also. more fm a 'balanced' news article that the ranters will still complain about: "In all, about 10 percent of all power plants operate within 20 miles of reservation land, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many of those 51 energy production centers are more than a half-century old and affect roughly 48 tribes living on 50 reservations. Fewer than 2 percent of all people in the United States identify as Native American and only a small portion live on tribal land. In many cases, Native American leaders have long embraced energy development as an economic opportunity for communities battling widespread unemployment. But a growing backlash has some tribal leaders questioning whether the health and environmental risks associated with energy production has put their people in harms way. While it's not conclusive that coal operations pose a direct danger to reservation residents, the Moapa Paiutes are one of several tribes demanding the closure of their neighborhood power plants. Sherry Smith, a history professor who co-edited the book "Indians and Energy: Exploitation and Opportunity in the American Southwest," said hardly anyone paid attention or were aware of potential environmental consequences when the power plants were built decades ago. "These are not simply people who have been duped by the government or the energy corporations," said Smith, director of the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies at Southern Methodist University in Texas. "They are simply 21st century people who are coping with the same issues the rest of us are about economic development and the environmental consequences and having to weigh these things." Among the nation's 564 diverse tribal entities, energy production is widely debated. Many support environmental protections as a natural extension of American Indian values. But tribal leaders also aspire to protect their culture by keeping members on the reservation. Jobs and economic opportunity are necessary, energy production proponents say, and power plants fill the gap." The Coal Industries real clean up of their filthy and unhealthy emissions is LONG overdue. The prime directive is maximize the profits at all cost!
kag2010 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:5,264 Points:1,021,710 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 6:55:43 PM Ignore kag2010 Report Abuse Back in the 80's a friend of mine,
SammyAdams Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:3,061 Points:794,510 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 6:51:29 PM Ignore SammyAdams Report Abuse From the article: "While it's not conclusive that coal operations pose a direct danger to reservation residents, the Moapa Paiutes are one of several tribes demanding the closure of their neighborhood power plants." From the article: "To be sure, tribes fighting energy companies are the exceptions." From the article: "They are legitimately concerned about the impact the power plant has on the reservation," said Michael Harris, a lawyer representing the tribe. Harris said some tribal members have complained of asthma attacks and cancer clusters and the plant might be to blame." =================================================================== All that is needed for an uprising among Native American Tribes is the fearmongering EPA and an attorney who promises them MORE than they might otherwise receive from either employment or leasing Reservation lands. Note the various statement throughout the article and you will understand where this piece is going. 1) "While it's not conclusive that coal operations pose a direct danger to reservation residents . . . " 2) "Harris said some tribal members have complained of asthma attacks and cancer clusters and the plant might be to blame." NO EVIDENCE? but the plant MIGHT be to blame? Also note that the EPA hasn't done very well with convincing most of the native Americans that they are living in grave danger as the article even admits "To be sure, tribes fighting energy companies are the exceptions." Divide4 and conquer is a very effective means of taking over a country and BO and his cohorts at the EPA are masters at this. Shut down the unconstitutional EPA and let each state deal with environmental problems.
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:8,953 Points:754,120 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 6:28:33 PM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse From this 'article' with much supposition "...NV Energy maintains its plant near the Moapa Paiute reservation is safe and has been upgraded with the required clean emissions technologies. Meanwhile, local, state and federal health agencies say they cannot conduct accurate health studies to verify the tribe's complaints because the sample size would be too small." So there's been no accurate health studies. And more "In many cases, Native American leaders have long embraced energy development as an economic opportunity for communities battling widespread unemployment." Plus, "On one end of the spectrum is the Navajo Nation, the country's largest reservation, with five power plants near or on its sprawling territory in the Southwest. The tribe has embraced coal production as a central component of its economy, and Navajo officials traveled to Washington in June to oppose proposed EPA regulations to make the plants more environmentally sound. The new requirements would kill jobs, tribal leaders said." Additionally the story goes on "While it's not conclusive that coal operations pose a direct danger to reservation residents, the Moapa Paiutes are one of several tribes demanding the closure of their neighborhood power plants." Sure is a LOT of inconclusive conjecture here. But of course we are all supposed to just take the word of Vicki Simmons that "everyone is sick"...... Just look past the advances in scrubber technology and the fact that coal emissions are reduced by 90% from the older plant technologies.
CocoPaz Champion Author Santa Barbara Posts:2,380 Points:324,370 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 6:23:58 PM Ignore CocoPaz Report Abuse Back in the 80's a friend of mine, Tory Mudd, won an academy award for her documentary on this very subject, "Broken Rainbow". It was, and still is, very sad.
AlgaeNOW Champion Author Wyoming Posts:1,012 Points:312,030 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 6:11:26 PM Ignore AlgaeNOW Report Abuse k
kag2010 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:5,264 Points:1,021,710 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:54:54 PM Ignore kag2010 Report Abuse ok
Jeff1944 Champion Author South Dakota Posts:4,239 Points:1,075,595 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:52:43 PM Ignore Jeff1944 Report Abuse And this coal fired plant affects gasoline prices, how? This is an alleged environmental issue that should be on a greenie blog.
Tucker16 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:1,160 Points:544,750 Joined:Jul 2006	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:50:17 PM Ignore Tucker16 Report Abuse Boo hoo.
csblesson Champion Author Texas Posts:1,821 Points:354,850 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:19:17 PM Ignore csblesson Report Abuse Take good care of them
fedupMN Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:2,964 Points:574,655 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:18:04 PM Ignore fedupMN Report Abuse ok
PathfinderSC Champion Author South Carolina Posts:9,526 Points:1,832,590 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:13:34 PM Ignore PathfinderSC Report Abuse Not good .
jppezz Champion Author New Mexico Posts:8,601 Points:1,694,510 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 5:09:33 PM Ignore jppezz Report Abuse More liberal bull.
tnfran Champion Author Arizona Posts:4,388 Points:844,140 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 4:35:22 PM Ignore tnfran Report Abuse They need to 'clean em up' really good instead of just being concerned at bottom line.
humblepie Champion Author Toledo Posts:34,288 Points:2,373,320 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 4:35:03 PM Ignore humblepie Report Abuse such a shame
batloverNM Champion Author Albuquerque Posts:3,938 Points:1,393,365 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 4:29:52 PM Ignore batloverNM Report Abuse It not just the air pollution that can make people sick. Coal ash needs to be treated as a hazardous waste...It's not. The coal industry with their money fights tougher standards.
evowner Champion Author Salem Posts:2,187 Points:360,260 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 4:23:36 PM Ignore evowner Report Abuse I thought putting coal fired power plants in low population density areas of the west would be a good idea. I didn't think about the Native Americans being disproportionally effected. Do a better job cleaning the coal power plants or find an alternative.
EZExit Champion Author Phoenix Posts:10,462 Points:1,710,580 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Jul 4, 2012 4:16:48 PM Ignore EZExit Report Abuse Many native Americans work at power plants in the reservations, as a matter of fact, you cannot be hired at these plants unless you are a member of the reservation in a lot of cases. There is better scrubber technology out there, however, the EPA mires them in red tape causing an aversion to upgrading the plants.