A Coal Free Oklahoma!

For Immediate Release: April 24, 2012
Contact: Jenna Garland, (404) 607-1262 x 222
Whitney Pearson, (405) 826-0241

Sierra Club Applauds Northeastern Coal Plant Retirement Announcement

Oklahoma City, OK - Today Sierra Club joins Governor Fallin, Attorney General Scott Pruitt, US EPA, and American Electric Power subsidiary Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (AEP-PSO), in announcing an agreement in principle in pending federal court litigation over the state's clean air protections. The agreement sets firm dates for retiring both units at AEP-PSO’s Northeastern coal-fired power plant near Oologah, Oklahoma. The plant’s retirement is a major victory for public health in Oklahoma, as reducing the number of coal-fired power plants will both reduce harmful emissions and will pave the way for clean energy. The Northeastern Plant is the 107th coal plant to retire since the Beyond Coal campaign began.

“Oklahoma must move beyond coal, and AEP-PSO is taking a strong first step here,” said Whitney Pearson with Sierra Club. "Today's announcement paves the way for resolving long-standing public health concerns about PSO's Northeastern coal plant, and shines a bright spotlight on the other two coal plants owned by OGE. Litigation over OGE's two coal plants continues."

Pearson added, “EPA has done a great job here working with a utility to create a responsible retirement plan. We commend the EPA and Governor Mary Fallin for their leadership in this settlement. AEP-PSO has set a good example for OG&E, which is now the biggest polluter in Oklahoma.”

Under the agreement between the U.S. EPA and Public Services Company of Oklahoma, the first 473 megawatt coal-burning unit at the Northeastern Plant will be retired by December 31, 2017. The second unit, also 473 megawatts, will remain online but will have pollution controls installed by December 31, 2017. Between 2017 and 2026, AEP-PSO will dramatically reduce the amount of coal burned at the unit until it is decommissioned no later than December 31, 2026.

“This retirement schedule creates ample opportunity for AEP-PSO to prioritize its workers,” said Charles Wesner, Chair of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Sierra Club calls on AEP-PSO to keep existing workers employed while decommissioning the plant and strive to keep as many workers as possible employed in new, clean energy projects in Oklahoma. With our tremendous wind, solar, and energy efficiency potential, AEP-PSO should be able to create jobs and keep these workers employed.”

Currently, Oklahoma has six coal-fired power plants that collectively emit significant amounts of soot, smog, and mercury pollution. Coal-fired power plants are a major contributor of ozone-forming pollution, and 2011 air quality data has shown that Tulsa and Oklahoma City exceeded federal limits on ozone pollution, threatening Oklahoma’s most vulnerable citizens, such as children, the elderly, and people who work or exercise outdoors. Ozone pollution is worsened during periods of high temperatures, meaning the summer of 2012 may be one of the worst ozone seasons in Oklahoma history.

Oklahoma has significant clean energy potential, which could power the state while protecting public health. Oklahoma’s wind resources rank ninth in the United States, with more than 50,000 megawatts of wind power potential. Wind power in Oklahoma supports thousands of jobs, and according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, wind can provide more than 31 times as much electricity as Oklahoma currently uses. States such as Alabama are already purchasing Oklahoma wind power.

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Oklahoma at a crossroads:

In a strong move for our health and environment, the EPA has taken the lead in cutting pollution from three of Oklahoma's oldest and dirtiest coal plants.

The EPA's final plan for reducing regional haze tells these plants enough is enough! It gives big polluters a choice: install new scrubber technology to limit emissions or retire their coal plants and convert to cleaner energy sources. This is a big step in stopping the pollution that is harming our communities and getting off coal entirely by transitioning to cheaper, cleaner energy alternatives like wind, solar, and energy efficiency. The deadline for Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) and American Electric Power (AEP)-Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO) to make the choice and comply with this plan is 2017.

Now is the time to show that we support investments in clean energy that will create new jobs, clean up our air and water, and protect the health of our communities rather than extending the life of these outdated coal plants!

Learn more about EPA's plan to reduce regional haze in Oklahoma.

Read comments submitted to the EPA by Sierra Club's experts

Oklahoma Haze Factsheet

OKLAHOMA'S ENERGY FUTURE FORUM -October 29th, 2011

Find speaker presentations from the forum here

Mary Anne Hitt, Director of Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign addresses Oklahoma's Energy Future Forum attendees

Mercury Pollution in Oklahoma

Did you know that there are currently fish consumption advisories issued on sixteen lakes in Oklahoma? Many fish tested in these lakes were found to contain levels of toxic mercury that present a health hazard if regularly consumed.

Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution. This pollution is making us sick. Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed long-overdue Clean Air Act standards to clean up this pollution and protect our health.

Read about "A Day in the Wichitas: Family Picnic, Fishing and Hiking Event" where folks learned about the dangers that mercury and haze are causing in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

Wichita Mountains

Sierra Club members and friends hiking in the Wichita Mountains

Why moving beyond coal is necessary

Coal is a dirty and outdated. Coal is the energy source of the past, and here in Oklahoma we can do better. We have the potential to be a leader in a clean energy economy by utilizing all our clean, homegrown energy sources, like wind, solar and geothermal, and by implementing the cheapest source of power, energy efficiency, across the state.

The Oklahoma Beyond Coal Campaign will not only ensure that no new coal plants or plant expansions will be allowed in this state, but will also focus on the need to phase out older existing coal plants to protect the health and safety of our citizens. Too many communities in Oklahoma are burdened by the adverse impacts of coal.

Whether it is coal's air pollution from the facilities that cause asthma and heart disease or the coal ash waste that contaminates air and water with cancer causing heavy metals, enough is enough. Oklahomans deserve better.

It's dirty from beginning to end

Despite its hazardous characteristics, coal ash and other coal combustion wastes are not subject to federal regulation, and state laws governing coal combustion waste disposal are usually weak or non-existent. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued two regulatory options for coal ash and is seeking public comment on both. One would continue the status quo – establishing suggested state guidelines, not federally enforceable rules. The other would recognize that coal ash is substantially more dangerous than household garbage and would regulate it as the toxic substance it is, protecting public health and waterways across the country. Federally enforceable rules are necessary to protect our communities and our families.

What is Coal Ash?

Coal Ash is the byproduct from burning pulverized coal in electric power generating plants. It is either stored on site or taken by truck to a disposal pit. Improved testing methods reveal that coal ash is significantly more toxic than originally thought and has an increased risk of leaking into waterways.

The toxins found in coal ash have been linked to organ disease, cancer, respiratory illness, neurological damage and developmental problems. Living near a coal ash site is significantly more dangerous than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, according to a risk assessment done by EPA. Even if you don't live near a disposal site, you could be exposed through the food that you eat.

The toxic pollution from coal ash builds up in exposed animals and plants, causing the pollution to make its way up the food chain.

Coal Ash in Oklahoma

In the southeastern Oklahoma community of Bokoshe, there is a coal ash disposal pit operated by Clean Hydro Reclamation, formerly known as Making Money Having Fun, LLC. The coal ash comes from the coal fired electric power plant, AES Shady Point, owned by AES Power and located in Panama, Oklahoma. The citizens of Bokoshe, now plagued with prevelant health problems are voicing their concerns and fighting for the enforcement and adoption of effective regulations of coal fly ash. Learn more about Bokoshe here.