Research Paper on:
Coal Plant-Generated Environmental Problems

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
project often leads lawmakers directly to manufacturing plants that discharge massive amounts of air pollutants, with mercury emissions from the coal industry at the top of this list. In  Missouri alone, two plants in particular bring to mind questionable levels of mercury excretion and the damage such discharge is doing to the surrounding environment: Southwest Power Station (0.0214920, plant;  1.2037, state) and James River Power Station, which emits 0.0214920 and 0.0231980, respectively, when compared with the overall state emission amount of 1.2037 (Emissions of Mercury by Plant).  One of the worst situations to come from the boom of big business all throughout the twentieth century is the fact that little consideration has  been given to the ravaging consequences of toxic manufacturing pollutants. Along with other man-made pollutants on a more scaled down level, the presence of mercury in the atmosphere continues  to be a significantly detrimental consequence to coal plant production. However, adopting a defeatist attitude is precisely what the environment does not need in order to protect itself from  further degradation; indeed, it only requires the efforts of dedicated individuals to effect positive change. The United States was forced to take a  good, long look at just what environmental damage had accumulated over the first half of the century when the original Clean Air Acts were passed in America. Among them  was the 1963 law -- which was "pushed through" (Jones 10A) by environmental advocate and politician Edmund S. Muskie -- that set its sights upon "substantially improving air quality" (Anonymous  PG). This was achieved primarily by restricting the types of automobiles allowed on the road and the kinds of pollutants they emitted into the atmosphere. This was the