Edward Smith, edward.smith@sierraclub.org
Indianapolis, Ind - Today, the Sierra Club unveiled a new interactive tool that shows the environmental toll of the Trump Administration’s planned rollbacks of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) safeguards on coal pollution in Indiana.
The Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard provides data on how much pollution would be reduced if five EPA rules were implemented: the Good Neighbor Plan, Regional Haze standards, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, Effluent Limitation Guidelines, and Greenhouse Gas Standards. These safeguards are in place to curb emissions of nitrogen oxides, mercury, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, wastewater pollution, and other toxic chemicals from burning coal. The interactive tool details each rule on its issue-specific tab and where each coal plant is located on a map.
A dozen coal plants owned by at least eight operators throughout Indiana could escape pollution reductions according to the Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard. Those plants are listed followed by the applicable rule(s):
- Indiana Michigan Power Rockport coal plant; Regional Haze and Effluent Limitation Guidelines
- Indiana Michigan Power, CenterPoint Indiana, and other joint owners of the Clifty Creek coal plant; all four rules except the Mercury Air Toxics Standards
- AES’s Petersburg coal plant; Good Neighbor Plan and Regional Haze
- Alcoa’s Warrick coal plant; Good Neighbor Plan, Greenhouse Gas Reduction (111d), and Regional Haze
- Duke’s Cayuga coal plant; Effluent Limitation Guidelines
- Duke’s Edwardsport coal plant; Good Neighbor Plan
- Duke’s Gibson coal plant; Greenhouse Gas Reduction (111d) and Regional Haze
- Hallador’s Merom coal plant; Regional Haze and Greenhouse Gas Reduction (111d)
- NIPSCO’s Michigan City coal plant; Good Neighbor Plan
- NIPSCO’s Schahfer coal plant; Good Neighbor Plan and Effluent Limitation Guidelines
- Purdue University’s coal plant; Effluent Limitation Guidelines
- Indiana Municipal Power Agency’s Whitewater Valley coal plant; Good Neighbor Plan, Greenhouse Gas Reduction (111d), and Effluent Limitation Guidelines
The rules, if fully implemented, would have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 55 percent, or 14,360,659 tons annually. Nitrogen dioxide would be reduced by 75%, or 4,045 tons while sulfur dioxide would be reduced by 47 percent, or 11,276 tons annually. Lastly, 51 percent, or 14,050 of coal wastewater pollution would be reduced from polluting Indiana's waters.
Duke advocated strongly for exemptions to these rules. It went as far as saying the monopoly utility would likely burn more coal under the Trump Administration shortly after the election, followed by a letter to the EPA asking it to undo many of the rules analyzed by the Sierra Club. Duke Energy Indiana received the lowest grade possible of major Indiana utilities in the Sierra Club’s latest clean energy transition scorecard.
Statement from Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter Director Robyn Skuya-Boss (he/they):
“As a monopoly utility, Duke is using its influence to externalize the cost of pollution generated at existing coal plants into the lungs of hard-working Hoosiers throughout the state. The only way utilities throughout Indiana will clean up their act is if we work together to demand clean air, clean water, affordable energy, and a habitable planet.”
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Director Laurie Williams issued the following response:
“The Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard demonstrates clearly that with every executive order, Donald Trump is recklessly releasing tons and tons of toxic, deadly chemicals into our air. These EPA safeguards were put in place to shield our communities from toxins that poison children, cause more asthma attacks, more heart attacks, and more premature deaths.
“The American people should be outraged that in the first few months of his presidency, Donald Trump has so callously attacked these lifesaving standards and given Big Coal a free pass to make Americans sicker with no consequence. The Sierra Club will continue to fight these dangerous rollbacks and defend our people from more deadly pollution.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.