2009.08.12 Press Release
Investigation Reveals Proposed Lima Coal Plant Sitting on Expired Permit
Contact: Nachy Kanfer, 614-625-3894
Developers seek federal taxpayer support, but still cannot move forward with construction.
Columbus, OH: Today, Sierra Club put Global Energy, Inc. on notice that the permit to construct its proposed coal plant in Lima, OH is outdated and expired. The company must return to the drawing board and apply for a new permit in order for the plant to have the best available pollution controls to protect human health and welfare.
"Global is clinging to an expired permit and trying to sneak in under the wire to avoid the latest safeguards for public health and the environment," said Nachy Kanfer, a representative of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign in Ohio.
The permit expired while Global Energy tried for years to obtain financing for the project. According to local media reports, the City of Lima is now assisting Global Energy with an application for funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. However, it remains unclear whether the risky proposal can be made attractive to investors, even with support from U.S. taxpayers.
Global Energy's project has no binding commitments to control the large amounts of global warming pollution it would spew into the atmosphere. The federal Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering greenhouse gas limits for large sources like the proposed Lima plant. Other coal projects around Ohio, including the proposed AMP coal-fired power plant, face similar questions about their commitment to control global warming emissions.
"By increasing Ohio's dependence on dirty coal, Global Energy's plant represents a step backward for the state and for the fight to end global warming," said Jean Godby, coal committee chair of the Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club. "Americans want to repower our economy with clean and sustainable energy solutions, not the dirty technologies of the past.
In response to recent local media reports regarding the proposed plant, Sierra Club began investigating Lima Energy's activities since its initial approval early this decade. The law requires Lima Energy to have started to build, and to have continued to build, its plant within eighteen months of that approval or its permit becomes invalid. Lima Energy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Energy, Inc.
Since the rush to build new coal plants began in 2001, 100 proposed plants have been defeated or abandoned, including the Ashtabula IGCC and Dominion Conneaut coal plants in Ohio. In their place, a smart mix of clean energy solutions like energy efficiency, wind, solar and geothermal has stepped up to meet America's energy needs.
* * *
Contact: Nachy Kanfer, 614-625-3894