Matthew Lara
10/17/2018 9:28 PM
according to PGE, the power comes from coal, wind, hydro and some solar. Coal is damaging to the environment in a couple ways. 1. the methods used to extract coal from the earth are extremely harmful. Land and mountains are usually stripped (level by level removal of the earth) and watersheds become contaminated. breathing coal dust is extremely hazardous to your health and causes irreversible damage to your body. Burning of coal emits CO2 into the air which contributes to greenhouse effect.
Hydrelectric dams are less damaging to the environment but they still cause problems, mainly with fish populations and then there is the overall impact to the river by blocking the waterways they essentially flood the area upriver. Celilo falls was buried because of a dam which was a complete and total sham for the native american tribes that called Celilo their home and fishing grounds for centuries. Dams can control natural flooding but they also alter the land forever (until they are removed) I do not see The Dalles ever loosing their dam just to bring back Celilo Falls.
I am unsure of how wind farms impact the environment, I have heard stories of flocks of birds flying into the blades and getting killed but other then that I am unsure. They do take up a lot of space but there is still viable land underneath them. Many wind farms are incorporated in actual farms like wheat fields or corn fields.
Hydrelectric dams are less damaging to the environment but they still cause problems, mainly with fish populations and then there is the overall impact to the river by blocking the waterways they essentially flood the area upriver. Celilo falls was buried because of a dam which was a complete and total sham for the native american tribes that called Celilo their home and fishing grounds for centuries. Dams can control natural flooding but they also alter the land forever (until they are removed) I do not see The Dalles ever loosing their dam just to bring back Celilo Falls.
I am unsure of how wind farms impact the environment, I have heard stories of flocks of birds flying into the blades and getting killed but other then that I am unsure. They do take up a lot of space but there is still viable land underneath them. Many wind farms are incorporated in actual farms like wheat fields or corn fields.