S.S. Badger Greenwashing to Keep Dumping Coal Ash in Lake Michigan

S. S. Badger

I have written before about the S.S. Badger, the last coal-fired ferry on Lake Michigan. (see my September 29, 2012 blog post. The EPA in 2008 gave the ships owners 4 years to comply with the Clean Water Act and stop dumping tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan. Instead of converting to diesel or some other fuel, the ship owners recently asked the EPA for a 5 year extension of their coal dumping permit citing the need to study a conversion to liquified natural gas. Now, they are stooping to greenwashing.

As reported by Dave Alexander at Mlive.com, the S. S. Badger has extended it’s sailing season to November 2, 2012, in order to ship parts for 60 wind turbines for G.E. The ferry owners claim that this is another reason why the EPA needs to extend their coal dumping permit allowing them to operate next year and beyond. Perhaps the irony of shipping wind turbine parts on the only coal fired ship on the Great Lakes, a ship that dumps tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan each year, is lost on Lake Michigan Carferry. However it is not lost on me and some other commentators.

No amount of greenwashing makes their failure to comply with the Clean Water Act, seeking landmark status, or other delaying tactics more palatable. As the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal stated in a recent editorial: Lake Michigan Carferry needs to find a way to keep the ferry running without adding more coal ash to the lake. This has been going on long enough. No one argues that coal-fired power plants should keep operating because the technology they use has a historic status. Pollution does not deserve protection.

I agree. No amount of greenwashing should save Lake Michigan Carferry and it’s S.S. Badger from having to comply with the same laws as its competitors. The coal ash dumping must stop at the end of this season. They can use the off season to convert to diesel or find a way to store the ash on board until they can safely unload it. Enough is enough.

What do you think about the S.S. Badger story, leave a comment below or carry it over to Twitter @MaxiContainer

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About The Author
Richard Rubin

Hello, I'm Rick the owner of Maxi Container. I used to be a tax and business attorney but now I am a third generation industrial packaging distributor. A self declared recovering workaholic, now I mostly like to write and take photos in my spare time. I tend to write about issues related to packaging, recycling, reuse and the environment. If you have any questions I can be reached via email at rick@maxicontainer.com