For the past six years we, as residents of Madison, have been living under a veil. A community so focused on activism in every extreme seems to have let one issue slip to the wayside. The issue at hand is the University of Wisconsin's coal plant located on Charter Street.

We have all walked by it sometime or another; water or ash has probably even fallen on your head while walking to or from class. Since many of us attend a major university boasting eco-friendly signs on every building possible, we were under the assumption that UW had taken the actions necessary to maintain this coal plant in adherence to all environmental laws and policies. If you were like me, you might have even thought UW would have taken steps necessary to get this coal plant ahead of the curve environmentally.
It comes as a shock to many of us that UW is not the upstanding university we thought it was. On Nov. 7, U.S. District Court Judge John Shabaz ruled in favor of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization, in a lawsuit concerning the coal plant's failure to adhere to stipulations laid out in the Clean Air Act. According to the Sierra Club, UW's coal plant failed to install modern controls to reduce pollution when other renovations were carried out. In addition, permits were not applied for or given to UW to carry out those controversial renovations.

The Sierra Club deserves some gratitude from all of us. According to the director of the National Coal Campaign, the Sierra Club tried for two years to plead with UW officials to change their practices and operate the plant under the provisions laid out in the Clean Air Act. However, UW did nothing and a lawsuit ensued.

Now that UW's dirty laundry is being aired out, some interesting comments are coming to light. Alan Fish, UW associate vice chancellor of facilities planning and management, treated the lawsuit as a new chance to comply, telling The Badger Herald, "In the process of sorting things out with the DNR, we'll be developing a really significant renovation plan so that we not only increase air emissions, but make the plant much more efficient and technologically advanced." Yet, for two years, if not longer, UW has been aware of their legal infringements and yet took no action. It was only after a lawsuit that UW lost did they finally decide to take some sort of action. Mr. Fish's comments only serve to put an optimistic ring on a problem UW cannot escape any longer.

Our university consistently preaches its advanced thought, action and execution of everything it has come to stamp its name on. This is just another case of our community's ignorance toward UW. Too many people have come to believe UW can do no wrong. UW is a major university with lots of eyes watching, right? Wrong, this is just another case of UW trying to slide problems under that red carpet. Do Adidas sweat shops conjure similar thoughts?

Now, no one is necessarily in grave danger because of UW's failure to bring this coal plant up to code. It should, however, be seen as a good lesson for the future. When we leave this university, whether we like it or not, we all become ambassadors of it as well. Your degree or job here connects you to this university. Therefore, it's in all of our best interests to keep a scrutinizing eye on UW's practices. We can no longer assume UW to be a benevolent creature, operating in the best interests of everyone and everything. UW's image affects all of our images.

All of us in this outspoken, activist community need to open our eyes up to all the issues, not just national or state issues. UW was breaking federal laws right under all of our noses, and it took more than six years for any type of action. I just hope UW might once again be able to live up to its own motto, "Forward. Thinking." I think we can all agree that they've got some work to do.

Ben Patterson ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science.