Deep inside a dank and sooty coal ash pit somewhere in the upper Midwest, Dusty Bin and Cole Ashe circled up with their polluting particulate pals. "Yeah that’s right," Cole sneered. "We’re outta here! They’ve been keeping all of us bottled up in this stinkin’ pit. But if we play our cards right," Cole continued while eyeing his circle of filthy friends, "before long we’re all gonna be able to blow this popsicle stand!
"Ya see, me and Dusty have been keeping our heads down and our ears open. We heard that the bureaucrats at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been told by their bosses that they have to lighten up on rules and regulations. Ya see; they won’t be paying any attention to us guys. That’s when me and Dusty figure on bustin’ outta here. And Maddog Mercury is coming with us!"
"That’s right," Dusty continued. "We’ll all be FREE! I can’t wait to be blown through the air and leeched down into the ground water. Some nambypambies at the EPA cry, ‘What about the increased risks of cancers, heart and thyroid diseases, cognitive impairments, respiratory disorders, and prenatal mortality?’
"What a bunch of crybabies! I heard that some asthma kids actually like using inhalers … weird huh! The important thing is we’ll finally be free. So what if a bunch of people get sick? It’s not like one day they’ll wake up wondering why they don’t feel so hot. Then they test their water only to see that Maddog’s been swimming in it. Well … maybe it actually is like that. But who cares? That’s the question."
Cole jumped back in. "Yeah, that IS the question. Does anybody care? The regulations haven’t been changed yet, and some people are speaking up; they don’t want the rules loosened. If enough folks write to the EPA before June 13th – https://tinyurl.com/46wvwxtz – the bureaucrats will wake up and realize that lowering pollution standards is a short-sighted highway to a sicker society and a dirtier environment.
"Folks that do care don’t have to be experts to submit comments. They can just tell about the terrible impact of 775 nationwide leaking coal ash pits on their health and the health of their community. And why wouldn’t they speak up because this is the only home they’ll ever know. It’s where we’re all forever … Earthbound."
More at foreverearthbound.net or purchase the book Because We’re All Forever Earthbound at littlecreekpress.com