Developing Clean Energy
New major interstate transmission lines in the Midwest/Great Plains are a double-edged sword: On the one hand, they can provide additional needed delivery capacity for wind power and other new renewable energy development; on the other hand, they can provide enabling delivery capacity and lifelines of support for the continued operation of old Midwest highly-polluting coal plants (for example, to sell to higher-priced East Coast power markets).
The importance of new transmission capacity to support wind power development is relatively clear. There is a less obvious and equally important goal of relating transmission advocacy to spur the retirement of old, highly-polluting coal plants in the Midwest/Great Plains states. There is a very important set of strategic leverage points because of the structure of the Midwest/Great Plains power market in 2010 – 2020.
ELPC hosted a Midwest Transmission Strategy meeting in Chicago in April 2010. The meeting brought together Midwest environmental, clean energy and consumer leaders to develop strategies to address delivery capacity issues for wind power and other renewables as well as important cost-allocation issues for new transmission. Below are links to some of the resources shared at that conference.
Midwest Transmission Strategy Meeting
Presentations and Materials (April 2010)
Other Resources
Using Regional Energy Markets to Reduce Energy Demand and Costs
Webinar and Materials (September 28, 2010)
Transmission 102 Training (September 30, 2010)
News
ELPC Report: Federal Mercury Standards Will Protect Children’s Health in Illinois
A new report from the Environmental Law & Policy Center finds that federal air toxics standards would protect the health of Illinois children by keeping tons of mercury pollution out of our air. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that leads to lower IQ and impaired brain development in infants and children.
“Companies should be morally responsible and step up to install modern pollution control equipment to reduce mercury pollution in order to protect children’s health and other environment,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “These federal standards are reasonable, achievable and long overdue.” U.S. EPA held public hearing on the air toxics standard for power plants in May 2011, and is expected to finalize rules in the coming months. Members of Congress have stated they will challenge the new rules.
Federal air toxics standards would lead to drastic reductions in mercury pollution from in-state industrial boilers and process heaters as well as dozens of out-of-state coal plants that are within 30 miles of the Illinois border. Illinois made progress in reducing mercury pollution after a 2006 agreement required coal plants in Illinois to install mercury controls. But the federal standards would be the first to reduce mercury from industrial facilities and coal plants nationwide.
Companies like Horsehead Corp. in Chicago and Archer Daniels Midland in Decatur pump over 150 pounds of mercury into the air each year. That mercury remains in the environment and makes its way up the food chain, into local fish that people eat.
The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued advisories warning that all Illinois waters contain mercury-contaminated fish that are dangerous to consume, especially for women of childbearing ages and young children. Roughly 300,000 American children are born each year having been exposed to potentially damaging amounts of mercury.
“We can’t afford to continue damaging our children’s health with toxic air pollution,” said Learner, “These clean air standards are an investment that will create economic growth and better public health here in Illinois and across the country.” The federal air toxics standards will provide public health benefits worth 5 to 13 times their costs for coal plants, and 10 to 25 times their costs for industrial facilities, according to U.S. EPA.
Download the Report
Read More about ELPC’s Work to Clean Up Coal Plants
Read More in Public News Service
