Hazard Lakeshore Power Station
In the March 1912 issue of Popular Mechanics an article was published titled “Remarkable Weather of 1911” In this article, the author posits the strange weather that occurred in 1911 and wonders if it was a fluke. They continue on to mention how in the United States, 2,000,000,000 tons of coal were being burned in power plants annually, adding 7,000,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere yearly. This is the first mention of greenhouse gasses know to be in print. The author concludes this may be of some consideration in the future, but not now.
The Oliver Hazard Lakeshore Power Station was just such a powerplant. Built in 1911, the coal burning plant supplied power to the neighboring communities. It was one of 3 large coal burning plants that had been built on the shores of Lake Erie in 1911. For the first 90 years of its existence, no one thought much of the powerplant, aside from occasional environmental protester. As the environmental movement has continue to pick up steam, the plant underwent increased scrutiny. In 2010, a damning study was conducted to determine the direct health effects of running the coal burning powerplant. It concluded that the plant was responsible for 18 deaths, 29 heart attacks, 270 asthma attacks, 13 hospital admissions, 10 cases of chronic bronchitis, and 13 asthma ER visits, ANNUALLY. Those numbers are per year. The findings from the study were released to the public in 2011 and by 2012 the plant was announced that it would close.
The plant did not close in 2012 however, it stayed open until 2015 in an effort to not increase rates for the citizens dependent on the plant. Since 2015, not much has changed. The building stands strong as the land is currently considered an environmental hazard. Mercury and other heavy metals are considered costly to clean up, so the decision has been to do nothing. Coal soot and dead animals litter the building as eerie numbers flash on the boards of the control room.
