2009.11.19 Press Release

Sierra Club and Public Citizen Deliver Over 2000 Comments to EPA on TCEQ

Contact: For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 19, 2009 For More Information, Contact: Eva Hernandez, Sierra Club, 404-717-3328, Ryan Rittenhouse, Public Citizen, 440-796-9695 Donna Hoffman, Sierra Club, 512-299-5776

Sierra Club, Public Citizen, Local Groups, Medical Doctors, and Interfaith Community ask U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enforce the Clean Air Act in Texas Groups deliver comments from Texans across the state asking EPA to halt new coal plants and review existing ones

(Dallas) – Sierra Club and Public Citizen on behalf of individual Texans and community groups across the state, as well as citizens in neighboring states of Arkansas and Louisiana, and a Dallas-based pediatrician representing growing concerns in medical communities across Texas, plus the Interfaith Environmental Alliance together delivered over 2,000 comments to administrative officials at the Region VI headquarters of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Dallas today. The comments ask the EPA to intervene to enforce the Clean Air Act in Texas by blocking 12 new proposed coal plants and reviewing the 17 existing coal plant permits.

“We appreciate the recent EPA finding that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is not adhering to the Clean Air Act. We’re supporting the EPA ruling with comments from over 2,000 Texans across the state who are saying ‘We want clean air and clean energy’,” said Eva Hernandez with Sierra Club.

“Texas has far more proposed new coal plants in the nation than any other state and we already have the highest level in the nation of carbon dioxide and mercury pollution from existing coal plants in Texas. By allowing so much coal plant pollution in our state, TCEQ leadership has not acted in the best interest of air quality and Texans’ health,” said Ryan Rittenhouse with Public Citizen and Coal Block. “We’re asking the EPA to apply their ruling to Texas coal plants and to intervene at the TCEQ.” [List of 12 proposed new coal plants in Texas -- http://tinyurl.com/yds77d7]

Growing Involvement of Texas Doctors

Medical communities across the state have become increasingly involved in opposing Texas coal plants, particularly in Corpus Christi the site of the proposed Las Brisas coke plant, in Austin which could become the first municipal utility in the state to reject coal, and in Dallas which is downwind of the majority of Texas existing coal plants and has been in non-attainment of federal air quality standards.

“As a pediatrician, I know that children are particularly susceptible to the adverse health effects of pollution emitted by coal combustion. Texas coal plants emit huge amounts of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter which are heavy duty respiratory toxins. We're seeing skyrocketing rates of asthma and respiratory illness in children, which would only be worsened by further coal plant operations," said Dr. Karen Lewis.

“I'm also concerned about mercury pollution, which leads to serious developmental and neurological disorders in fetuses and young children. Doctors recommend that pregnant women not eat large fish and limit their intake of smaller fish, but can we talk about why and where the mercury in such a healthy food as fish comes from? Over 75% of the mercury pollution in Texas comes from coal plants. The bottom line is that we shouldn’t be building more coal plants in Texas.”

[Mercury percentage comes from EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory. See Sierra Club fact sheet on annual pollution from Texas coal plants and health impacts -- http://tinyurl.com/ye7g7wv]

Planned New EPA Air Quality Standards

The groups’ request today for EPA intervention on TCEQ coincides with the announcement this week by the EPA of a new proposed national air quality standard for sulfur dioxide (SO2), one of the most dangerous pollutants from coal plants. [See more information about SO2 and the EPA’s proposed ruling -- http://tinyurl.com/y8hou8k]

The EPA plans to publish this December a new proposed rule for ozone the coal plant pollutant that causes smog in cities and in January a new proposed rule for carbon dioxide, the principal global warming gas that comes primarily from coal plants. The new rules will place many additional regions of Texas in non-attainment of federal clean air standards and will require coal plants to install costly new scrubbers.

Clean Power Solutions

Sierra Club, Public Citizen, and organizations such as the Corpus Christi Clean Economy Coalition and many others are calling for a transition to clean energy solutions. They recommend implementing already available and emerging energy efficiency measures in government buildings, businesses, schools, churches, and homes and building more wind, solar and geothermal power instead of building more coal plants.

“Texas already has a highly successful track record in the clean energy industry. We’re number one in the nation for wind power production. We have powerful solar resource in Texas and we have a lot of energy know-how that is fueling decisions to use already-available green-building techniques. We’re advancing new clean energy technologies,” said Rittenhouse.

“We don’t need to build new coal plants in Texas. And let’s see how soon we can transition off the existing ones,” added Hernandez.

At rallies calling for clean power, green jobs, and clean air in Alpine, Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, and Dallas on October 31 and through an online action, [Take Action -- http://tinyurl.com/kwkgfo] the groups collected the comments they delivered to the EPA’s Region VI headquarters today asking EPA to halt new coal plants in Texas and review existing ones.

[Slide show of the Roll Beyond Coal rallies on October 31 in Texas -- http://tinyurl.com/y8zudsa]

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