The U.S. government continues to promote “The Clean Coal Power Initiative,” fabricating the concept that coal can be used as an energy source with minimal environmental consequences. The community of Belmont, North Carolina is facing detrimental living conditions due to contaminated water from coal ash waste, an issue nearly identical to what people in Flint, Michigan are experiencing. Poisonous chemicals have seeped into the groundwater used by locals; their origin from unkempt nearby Duke Energy coal ash ponds. Public officials, including North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R), continue to ignore the suffering of their state residents as they deal with lethal water conditions.

State and federal government officials have chosen to focus on muting protests about water pollution harming Americans nationally in order to maintain pristine political reputations and place business priorities over human lives. The Environmental Protection Agency reports 72 percent of all U.S. toxic water pollution is a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. These chemicals often lead to cancer, fertility issues, asthma, birth defects, and in some cases, death. Coal ash waste is endangering the lives of people in communities across the country. Waste from coal plants sits in coal ash ponds containing potentially life-threatening chemicals including arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium, and aluminum – and the list goes on. Lack of state and federal regulations on coal plants has allowed this waste to leak into the water supply dispensed to entire towns, taking a toll on Belmont, N.C. residents like Amy Brown.

Due to the byproducts of the Duke Energy coal ash pond “less than 1,000 feet from her home,” Amy was administered a Do Not Drink notice in the spring of 2015, and since then has resorted to only using bottled water to drink, cook, bathe, and brush her teeth. The notice stated that her water contained “cancer-causing industrial chemicals such as hexavalent chromium,” jumpstarting the fear Amy continues to have about the water supply and its influence on the health of both herself and her two children.

Access to clean water should not be a luxury for those who live in upper-class areas or can simply afford to avoid tainted drinking water by buying bottled water instead. Socioeconomic and racial backgrounds have a direct connection to areas dealing with coal ash pollution. The NAAP recently proposed a question challenging Gov. Pat McCrory’s disregard for the health of Flint residents. “Would more have been done, and at a much faster pace, if nearly 40 percent of Flint residents were not living below the poverty line? The answer is unequivocally, yes." The U.S. Census reports Flint, Michigan is 57 percent black, with 41 percent of its residents living below the poverty line.

Americans without access to safe water are anxiously waiting for federal and state officials to make their lives a priority as they continue to disregard the “unalienable" right of life, a principle the United States was founded on. Last Tuesday, President Obama continued to implement his Climate Action Plan – with its goal to reduce hydrofluorocarbon emissions (HFCs), extremely hazardous greenhouse gases more potent than carbon dioxide, through supporting the EPA proposition for using new, “safe” alternatives to HFCs. Although the president continues to take steps to protect Americans from harmful chemicals and address climate change, U.S. coal plants still produce 140 million tons of coal ash pollution annually, harming humans, animals, and the environment.

Action of a much greater proportion must be taken on both federal and state levels; the EPA even publicly recognizes that current environmental guidelines have fallen behind industrial developments, allowing national water pollution to skyrocket. It's clear that North Carolinians feel abandoned by McCrory, who was elected governor with the belief that he would maintain their best interests. Belmont resident Deb Baker admits, “I really don’t feel like he’s on our side.”

Now is the time for government officials to step up and do the jobs they were designated to do. Pollution from coal plants makes it evident that coal is not a sustainable energy source. Using coal as an energy source comes with too many negative consequences for both the environment and humanity for continued use moving forward. Until then, Belmont and Flint residents remain waiting – thirsty for change.