Letter: Riverview Coal-to-Diesel plant a destructive pipe dream
On Friday, January 25, I asked Greg Merle, president of Riverview Energy, whether his pipe dream of a toxic coal-to-diesel plant in Dale has any financing.
His answer was “I’m working on it.” In other words, no financing. But what has his straw-to-gold scheme already cost the people of Dale and the rest of Indiana?
Lincolnland Economic Development Corporation has, at taxpayer expense, bent over backward to court Greg Merle and his group. Town and county councils here have wasted time and political capital passing resolutions supporting this plant, usually with no knowledge about it except that Riverview promises money to our area. Our state and national elected officials have come out in support of the plant, even though some admit they know nothing about it.
Riverview has divided our communities, perhaps irreversibly, with a promise of money for a few, with pollution, risk and lower quality of life for the rest of us.
Now we learn Greg Merle is an emperor with no clothes.
The supporters of Greg Merle’s folly should stop deluding themselves that Riverview will ever benefit our area.
We can do better!
Randy Vaal
Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life
Santa Claus
You are absolutely right, Mr. Vaal. WE CAN DO BETTER!
We do not need to breathe the pollution emitted by this coal to diesel plant. We all deserve clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. Cancer rates are already high around our area. I’ve taken care of many with cancer in my nursing career. Please, no more folks with chest X-rays that look like Swiss cheese that need a lung transplant or have severe pulmonary fibrosis from pollution in our region. All industries need to do their part for clean air. No more obsolete carbon emitting plants. Leave the coal in the ground and save our precious farmland. Invest in renewable energy…it is here to stay. Can’t turn back change. The rest of the world is listening to science and facts. It is time we do too. We are called to keep our world clean for our children, grandchildren, and future generations. Thank you Mr. Vaal for sticking up for science, wisdom and what is right for now and generations to come. Engineers like Mr. Vaal and my late father, Larry Lehmkuhler, BS Aeronautical Engineering, Purdue, know what they are talking about. Engineers also save lives and better the world for us all. Listen to them. Cheryl Haas, RN DON