Is the coal lobby forging petition signatures on a White House web site to stop EPA from regulating toxic coal ash?
"Either there are a lot of people of Chinese heritage that love coal ash in Colorado, or something is up with the White House's citizen-led petition page. Add to this the fact that these Chinese Americans have names that would translate as 'Small Steamed Bun,' 'Big Steamed Bun,' and 'Most Handsome Guy,' and things start to look really weird.
Back in September 2011, the group Citizens for Recycling First launched a petition on the White House's 'We the People' page, a site designed to allow Americans to flag issues of importance to them for the Obama administration. If petitions on the page get 5,000 signatures in 30 days, the administration will respond to them. The petition in question deals with the regulation of coal ash—the stuff left behind when you burn coal to generate electricity -- and asks the Environmental Protection Agency not to classify the ash as 'hazardous waste' that requires special disposal. The EPA is currently considering a new rule that could affect how the waste, which contains toxic elements like arsenic, mercury, and lead, is handled. But the agency has met backlash from groups aligned with the coal ash industry who believe that the designation will create both extra costs and a stigma for recyclers that use the stuff to make drywall, landfill material, and even bowling balls."
Kate Sheppard reports for Mother Jones July 5, 2012.
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