5/23/11 Press Release
New Plan from Environmental Protection Agency Would Clear the Air, Experts Say
Contact: Contact:
Whitney Pearson 405.826.0241
Oliver Bernstein 512.289.8618
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2011
Coal-Fired Power Plants Responsible for Haze, and Oklahoma Clean-Up Plan is Insufficient
New Plan from Environmental Protection Agency Would Clear the Air, Experts Say
Oklahoma City, OK– To mark today's end of the official comment period for a new, proposed regional plan to deal with haze from coal-fired power plants in Oklahoma, experts from the Sierra Club have submitted written comments in support of the plan. These expert comments will complement the hundreds of public comments that area residents provided during and after Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public hearings held in Oklahoma City and Tulsa in April. In March, the EPA proposed a Federal Implementation Plan to improve visibility and protect human health by cleaning up pollution from three of Oklahoma’s oldest coal-fired power plants.
Whitney Pearson, Sierra Club Representative said, "It is clear that it is not in the best interest Oklahoma citizens to extend the life of these dirty coal plants. They are outdated and damaging to the health of our residents and the economy."
The Clean Air Act requires states to take steps to modernize pollution controls of older power plants to meet regional haze requirements. The EPA proposes Federal Implementation Plans when a State Implementation Plan does not adequately address Clean Air Act guidelines. The EPA has proposed to partially approve and partially reject a revision to the Oklahoma State Implementation Plan that the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality submitted on February 19, 2010. The EPA found that Oklahoma’s proposed plan did not meet the federal guidelines, so EPA proposed its standards, requiring that Oklahoma coal plants, and others, reduce toxic pollution like sulfur dioxide.
"It is now time for OG&E and AEP-PSO to do the right thing and phase out these coal plants and transition to energy sources that won’t make us sick," said Whitney Pearson.
Pollution from coal-fired power plants, such as sulfur dioxide, can threaten human health. According to the EPA, exposure to sulfur dioxide can cause adverse respiratory effects like increased asthma symptoms and can aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death.
SIERRA CLUB COMMENT HIGHLIGHTS
According to the Clean Air Task Force, the 6 units at issue in the proposed rule annual cause approximately 118 deaths, 181 heart attacks, 2,037 asthma attacks, 86 hospital admissions, 74 cases of chronic bronchitis, and 129 ER visits. EPA estimated that in 2015, full implementation of the Regional Haze Rule nationally will prevent 1,600 premature deaths, 2,200 non-fatal heart attacks, 960 hospital admissions, and over 1 million lost school and work days. The Regional Haze Rule will result in health benefits valued at $8.4 to $9.8 billion annually. More than 100,000 children and 365,000 adults are diagnosed with asthma in Oklahoma, and hospitalizations in Oklahoma due to asthma cost roughly $57.9 million in 2007 alone.
Sulfur Dioxide emissions from the OG&E and PSO units are causing violations of the one-hour SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (“NAAQS”). While USEPA’s FIP and proposed SO2 BART pertains to regional haze, the existing SO2 NAAQS violations from the OG&E Muskogee and Sooner facilities, and the AEP/PSO Northeastern plant, will require that Oklahoma prepare a SIP demonstrating an adequate program to implement, maintain, and enforce the SO2 NAAQS. The Clean Air Act requires that the SO2 NAAQS SIP be prepared by June 3, 2013. USEPA’s proposed SO2 BART will have multiple benefits, including likely compliance of the one-hour SO2 NAAQS from these subject facilities.
Both the option to install scrubber technology and the option to transition the coal boilers to natural gas are feasible in the three year timeframe EPA proposed. There are numerous examples of SO2 scrubbers being installed at coal-fired power plants within a three year timeframe or less. For example, a new SO2 scrubber was installed at the Brandon Shores power plant in Maryland, and according to the company’s website, construction took three years. Installations of SO2 scrubbers have even been accomplished in less than three years. For example, Indianapolis Power & Light installed an SO2 scrubber at Unit 7 of its Harding Street Station in Indianapolis, Indiana in less than three years, with construction beginning in May 2005 and being completed in September 2007. Natural gas conversion projects generally require less than a year.
Switching six units of coal to natural gas is the right choice for Oklahoma for several reasons. The switching option reduces NOx emissions, eliminates emissions of mercury and other air toxics, nearly eliminates particulates and SO2, ends the production of toxic fly ash and bottom ash, and avoids the need for disposal of scrubber waste. The scrubber option leaves the utilities vulnerable to future environmental costs. Oklahoma is a major exporter of natural gas, but a major importer of coal, including the coal burned by the six units. Oklahoma sends $494 million out of state each year to purchase coal. Natural gas conversion projects generally require less than a year.
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Contact: Contact:
Whitney Pearson 405.826.0241
Oliver Bernstein 512.289.8618