worst plants for pollution list ..

[Guest guest]

FYI -- feeling real " lucky " that five of the ten worst are in my

state (PA).

Note reference to mercury!!

DIRTY KILOWATTS:

AMERICA'S 50 DIRTIEST POWER PLANTS EMIT UP TO 20 TIMES

MORE POLLUTION THAN PLANTS WITH STATE-OF-ART CONTROLS

New Report Exposes Worst Plants on Sulfur Dioxide, Mercury, Nitrogen

Oxide, CO2 Pollution;

Needless Pollution Linked to 20,000 Premature Deaths, Fetal Damage

and Global Warming.

WASHINGTON, D.C.//May 11, 2005///The American electric utility

industry has a dirty secret: The top 50 among the nation's 359

largest power plants generate as little as 14 percent of the

electric power – but account for a disproportionately large share of

pollution emissions across four major categories: up to 50 percent

of sulfur dioxide emissions, 42 percent of mercury, 40 percent of

nitrogen oxides, and 35 percent of carbon dioxide pollution,

according to a major new report from the nonprofit and nonpartisan

Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).

And as the new EIP study entitled " Dirty Kilowatts " makes clear,

most of the ill health and environmental harms arising from

America's dirtiest power plants are avoidable. Currently available

and affordable technologies could remove the vast majority of the

pollutants in question – reducing the amount of air pollution per

megawatt hour by more than 20 times in one major emission category:

sulfur dioxide. According to the EIP report, the 50 dirtiest U.S.

power plants averaged 22.8 pounds of sulfur dioxide emissions per

megawatt-hour, compared to an average of 8.3 pounds per megawatt-

hour among all of the nation's 359 largest plants, and under one

pound per megawatt-hour for plants equipped with state-of-the-art

scrubber technologies.

The 10 states with the heaviest concentrations of the dirtiest power

plants – in terms of pounds of sulfur dioxide emissions per megawatt

hour of electricity generated – are: Pennsylvania (nine, including

five of the 10 dirtiest plants); Ohio (nine); Indiana, (six,

including two of the top three dirtiest plants); Georgia (four);

land (three); Kentucky (three); Alabama (three); New York (two);

Tennessee (two); and West Virginia (two). The " Dirty Kilowatts "

report also ranks the worst power plants for carbon dioxide,

nitrogen oxide and mercury, looking at all four pollutants both in

terms of total pounds of emissions and also emission rate (pounds

per megawatt-hour of electricity produced). Plants in Texas,

Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota top these

additional rankings.

Environmental Integrity Project Director Schaeffer said: " The

real tragedy for the health of Americans and our environment is that

most of this problem is already preventable. A huge share of these

emissions comes from a handful of unnecessarily dirty power plants

that have not yet installed modern pollution controls, or which

operate inefficiently. Power plant sulfur dioxide and nitrogen

oxide emissions contribute to fine particle pollution that triggers

asthma attacks and causes lung and heart disease linked to more than

20,000 premature deaths a year. Carbon dioxide gases contribute to

the gradual warming of the planet. Mercury from power plant is a

deadly neurotoxin, especially dangerous to developing fetuses and

already estimated to be at unhealthy levels in at least 10 percent

of pregnant women. "

McPhedran, senior attorney, Citizens for Pennsylvania's

Future (PennFuture), said: " Pennsylvania plants are once again near

the top of the air pollution most wanted list. Maybe we need some

new 'most wanted' pictures hanging up in our post offices – pictures

of the Hatfield's Ferry, Homer City and Keystone plants, wanted for

endangering our health. "

" It's time we start asking ourselves how much we're really willing

to pay for dirty electricity, " said Bruce Nilles of Sierra Club's

Great Lakes Clean Air Program. " Plants in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois,

Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are among the nation's worst

sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide polluters, and that translates to

asthma attacks, lost school and work days, and emergency room

visits. These health costs are avoidable if power companies step up

and install modern pollution controls. "

Tom " Smitty " , director, Public Citizen Texas Office, Austin,

TX., said: " This new data shows exactly why it's time to clean up

coal-burning power plants. We can meet our energy needs without

poisoning our children. By any measure, electric utility companies

in the Lone Star State are among the worst polluters in the country,

especially when it comes to toxic mercury and global warming gases.

There are cleaner alternatives to the death and disease from dirty

power plants. "

" The fact that land, a small state, makes the `Top 10' in the

list of the nation's dirtiest power plants shows we can do much more

in-state to fix this problem. Yet, the legislative fix to reduce

pollution like this in land failed last session. " said

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Scientist Dr. Beth McGee. " This

report underscores the need to control pollution from in-state

sources in order to reduce the damage being done to human health,

and the health of our rivers, streams and the Chesapeake Bay. "

KEY REPORT FINDINGS

The EIP report identifies the 50 worst power plant polluters for

sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2),

and mercury, ranked according to emissions rate (the amount of

pollution per megawatt-hour of electricity generated) and the total

annual amount of each pollutant emitted. The report is based on the

latest available EPA and other federal data. The top 50 rankings

for SO2, NOx, and CO2 include only the 359 largest plants (i.e.

those that generated at least 2 million megawatt hours in 2004) for

which emissions and net generation data is publicly available.

Roughly three out four of these plants (73 percent) reported coal as

their primary fuel source in 2004. Mercury rankings are based on

the most current (2002) public data from EPA's Toxics Release

Inventory.

Key report findings include the following:

• Sulfur dioxide – pollution per megawatt hour. Of the 359

plants ranked, the top 50 plants with the worst emission rates

accounted for 38 percent of SO2 emissions, but only 14 percent of

electric generation. Alcoa's Warrick plant in Indiana claimed the

top spot, generating just over 46 pounds of sulfur dioxide per

megawatt-hour of electricity (compared to an 8.3 pound average among

the top 359 plants). Louisville Gas and Electric's plant

came in second, with just over 40 pounds of SO2 per megawatt-hour of

electricity. Five of the top 10 plants with the worst SO2 emission

rates are in Pennsylvania.

• Sulfur dioxide – tons of pollution. Of the 359 plants

ranked, the top 50 plants with the highest emissions accounted for

4.5 million tons, or approximately half of SO2 emissions, but only

25 percent of electric generation. Reliant's Keystone plant in

Pennsylvania led the way, with 171,000 tons, followed closely by

Southern Company's Bowen plant in Georgia, with nearly 166,000

tons. Pennsylvania was home to four of the top 10 highest emitters,

and Ohio had three of the top 10. American Electric Power's

Muskingum River plant ranks in the top 10 for both emission rate and

total tons. Pennsylvania plants also rank high for both total SO2

output and emission rates, with Allegheny Energy's Hatfield's Ferry

and Reliant's Keystone power plants making the top 10 in both

lists.

• Nitrogen oxides – pollution per megawatt hour. The top 50

plants had an average emission rate of 5.8 pounds of NOx per

megawatt-hour, almost double the 3.0 pounds per megawatt-hour

average emission rate for all 359 of the nation's largest power

plants. Of the 359 plants ranked, the top 50 accounted for 26

percent of all NOx emissions but only 14 percent of net electric

generation. Northern State's Riverside (Minnesota) and Minnkota's

Milton Young (North Dakota) power plants claimed the top two spots,

with emission rates of just over 11 and just under 10 pounds of NOx

per megawatt-hour, respectively. Electric utilities do not reduce

NOx emissions unless they are required to do so: many plants in the

top 50, including seven out of the top 10, are in states with less

stringent NOx emission limits because they do not fall under

the " NOx SIP call, " a federal rule designed to reduce summertime

ozone in eastern states (NOx is a precursor to ground-level

ozone).

• Nitrogen oxides – tons of pollution. Of the 359 plants

ranked, the top 50 accounted for 1.3 million tons of NOx, or 40

percent of emissions, but only 29 percent of net electricity

generation. Arizona Public Service Company's Four Corners plant and

American Electric Power's Gavin plant (Ohio), topped the list,

emitting more than 40,000 tons of NOx apiece.

• Carbon dioxide – pollution per megawatt hour. The 359 plants

ranked had an average CO2 emission rate of approximately 1,970

pounds per megawatt-hour, while the average emission rate for the

top 50 plants was approximately 2,500 pounds per megawatt hour.

AEP's Coleto Creek (Texas) plant topped the list, with an emission

rate of more than 4,500 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour, followed by

Alcoa's Warrick (Indiana) plant, with an emission rate of almost

3,000 pounds per megawatt hour. Five large lignite-burning North

Dakota power plants rank in the top 25. Lignite is abundant in

places like Texas and North Dakota, but has a comparatively low BTU

(heat) value, which means more CO2 for the electricity it generates.

• Carbon dioxide – tons of pollution. Because CO2 is not

federally regulated, power plants do not control emissions. A

strong correlation exists between net generation and total

emissions. The largest fossil fuel fired plants typically have the

highest CO2 emissions, and the top 50 emitters account for 35

percent of total tons of CO2 emitted and 33 percent of net

generation from all plants.

• Mercury – pollution per-megawatt hour. Based on EPA's

Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2002 (the most current publicly

available mercury emissions data), the top 50 plants with the

highest emission rates emitted 30 percent of all power plant mercury

pollution, but generated only about 14 percent of the electricity.

Texas and Pennsylvania power plants topped the list for the highest

mercury emission rates. AEP's Pirkey plant (Texas) and Reliant's

Shawville plant (Pennsylvania) are the top two dirtiest plants based

on mercury emission rates.

• Mercury – tons of pollution. The top 50 power plant

mercury polluters accounted for 42 percent (19.06 tons) of all

mercury emissions in the TRI, but generated only about 29 percent of

the electricity. Reliant's Limestone (Texas) plant emitted 1,800

pounds of mercury, far more than any other power plant. TXU's

Monticello (Texas) plant and AEP's Conesville (Ohio) plant came in

second and third, emitting 1,324 and 1,300 pounds, respectively. A

total of 23 plants in 14 states ranked in the top 50 for both

emission rate and total pounds emitted. Six Texas power plants

appear on both lists. Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, and

Wisconsin each had two plants on both top 50 lists. Two AEP

plants, Pirkey (Texas) and Conesville (Ohio), and Reliant's

Limestone (Texas) plant, are in the top 10 for both emission rate

and total pounds.

• SO2 and NOx health effects. Sulfates and nitrates (from SO2

and NOx) are major components of the fine particle pollution that

plagues many parts of the country, especially those communities

nearby and directly downwind of coal-fired power plants. Harvard

School of Public Health studies have shown that SO2 emissions from

power plants significantly harm the cardiovascular and respiratory

health of people who live near the plants. According to EPA

studies, fine particle pollution from power plants causes more than

20,000 premature deaths a year. Ground-level ozone, which is

especially harmful to children and people with respiratory problems

such as asthma, is formed when NOx and volatile organic compounds

(VOCs) react in sunlight.

• Mercury health effects. Coal-fired power plants are the

single largest source of mercury air pollution, accounting for

roughly 40 percent of all mercury emissions nationwide. Mercury is

a highly toxic metal that, once released into the atmosphere,

settles in lakes and rivers, where it moves up the food chain to

humans. In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control found that roughly

10 percent of American women carry mercury concentrations at levels

considered to put a fetus at risk for neurological damage.

• SO2 and NOx environmental effects. Sulfur dioxide and NOx

form acid rain, which damages forests, and acidifies soil and

waterways. NOx also increases nitrogen loading in water bodies,

especially in sensitive coastal estuaries. According to EPA, NOx

emissions are one of the largest sources of nitrogen pollution in

the Chesapeake Bay.

• CO2 (greenhouse gas) environmental effects. Carbon dioxide,

one of several greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change,

is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels (oil, natural gas,

and coal), wood, and solid waste are burned. Power plants are

responsible for at least 35 percent of all man-made CO2 emissions in

the U.S., and unlike emissions of SO2 and NOx (which are federally

regulated) the electric power industry's CO2 emissions are steadily

rising.

The full EIP report is available online at

http://www.environmentalintegrity.org.

ABOUT EIP

The Environmental Integrity Project

(http://www.environmentalintegrity.org) is a non-profit non-partisan

organization dedicated to stronger enforcement of existing federal

and state anti-pollution laws, and to the prevention of political

interference with those laws. EIP's research and reports shed light

on how enforcement and rulemaking affect public health. EIP also

works closely with communities seeking enforcement of environmental

laws.

CONTACT: Ailis , (703) 276-3265 or aaaron@....

EDITOR'S NOTE: The full EIP report, a related news release and the

streaming audio recording of the news event will be available on the

Web as of 4 p.m. ET on May 11, 2005 at

http://www.environmentalintegrity.org.