Thursday, June 6, 2013
ELPC Calls the Decision “A Step in the Right Direction”
Today the Illinois Pollution Control Board denied an attempt by Ameren to transfer its exemption from state pollution standards to Dynegy. The Board indicated that it couldn’t substitute one company for another in granting a variance.
ELPC is pleased that the variance transfer request was denied on this procedural ground.
Last year, the plants were granted a 5-year variance from state clean air standards because of Ameren’s financial hardships. Dynegy opposed the variance at the time, saying that it would keep uneconomic plants in the marketplace and create “winners and losers.” This year, Dynegy asked the Board to transfer the variance with the sale of the plants and do so without a public hearing.
“Today’s Board decision is a step in the right direction. The public’s right to have clean air shouldn’t be sacrificed so that Dynegy can make more money when buying these coal plants,” said ELPC Senior Attorney Faith Bugel. “The state should hold Dynegy to its legal and corporate environmental responsibility to clean up any of the coal plants it purchases from Ameren.”
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2013
CONTACT: David Jakubiak
708-299-7733
Friday, April 26, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2013
Great Lakes Environmental Groups Ask U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Strengthen Proposed Consent Decree with Coal-Ash-Dumping Ferry Boat
It’s Time for the S.S. Badger to Clean Up Its Operation and Stop Polluting Lake Michigan
CHICAGO – A half dozen regional and national environmental groups filed joint written comments Friday requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strengthen the proposed consent decree that allows the S.S. Badger to continue dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan for two more years.
The S.S. Badger is the last coal-fired steamship on the Great Lakes and each year it dumps more than 500 tons of coal ash directly into Lake Michigan. A previous agreement required the ship to end its dumping of coal ash in 2012.
The comments, submitted by The Environmental Law & Policy Center, Alliance for the Great Lakes, National Parks Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club, requested that the U.S. Department of Justice strengthen the proposed consent decree for the S.S. Badger in four principal areas:
- The consent decree should clearly and explicitly state both parties’ intentions and full agreement that there will be no further extensions of time, beyond the new 2014 deadline, for the defendant Lake Michigan Trans-Lake Shortcut to eliminate all coal ash discharges from the S.S. Badger. No such extensions should be sought by either or both of the parties.
- There should be more substantial percentage reductions of coal ash dumping in 2013 and 2014 in order to provide a stronger path toward complete compliance and the end of this coal ash pollution of Lake Michigan.
- The penalties should be increased in order to incentivize full compliance by 2014 and better ensure the end of the S.S. Badger’s coal ash pollution of Lake Michigan.
- There should be more frequent and transparent reporting. The S.S. Badger’s owners should be required to file discharge monitoring reports on a monthly basis like other point sources. These discharge monitoring reports should state the volume and nature of the discharges.
“It’s time for the S.S. Badger to clean up its operations and stop polluting Lake Michigan,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “The leading Great Lakes environmental organizations are requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice and EPA strengthen the consent decree to reduce the S.S. Badger’s coal ash dumping sooner and with no further extensions.”
The six Great Lakes environmental organizations have numerous members who are affected by and concerned about water pollution that may cause or contribute to impairments of Lake Michigan. Among these members are many who swim and fish in Lake Michigan, who eat fish caught in Lake Michigan and who drink water from Lake Michigan. The organizations represent hundreds of thousands of members concerned about and engaged in restoring and protecting Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes.
Two weeks ago, the groups outlined their requests at the website ProtectOurLake.org. The groups also created an awareness campaign on social media using the hashtag #SSBadger. This week alone, hundreds of tweets using that hashtag came from residents of the Midwest urging the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency to take action. Additionally, more than 6,000 letters were sent to the Department of Justice requesting that the four strengthening points above be considered.
The groups will be watching closely as the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency review the comments. The S.S. Badger’s season is scheduled to begin on May 6.
Download the Joint Environmental Comments on Proposed S.S. Badger Consent Decree
Thursday, April 18, 2013
More than 1,000 Clean Air Violations at E.D. Edwards Plant in Bartonville, Ill.
Community Groups Demand Clean Air and Water in Central Illinois after Decades of Pollution from Outdated Coal Plant
Read the complaint
PEORIA, IL – Today, the Sierra Club, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council and Respiratory Health Association filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Peoria against Ameren Energy Resources Company LLC and its subsidiary. The complaint cites more than 1,000 violations of the federal Clean Air Act from emissions at Ameren’s E.D. Edwards coal-fired power plant in Bartonville, Ill.
“Particle pollution can get deep down into lungs and cause respiratory and pulmonary problems,” said Andrew Armstrong, Attorney at Environmental Law and Policy Center. “Opacity is one way of measuring particle pollution. Ameren has more than 1,000 opacity violations, indicating that they have poured too much of this dangerous pollution into Central Illinois communities.”
The basis for the Clean Air Act violations is data collected by Ameren at its own facilities using electronic continuous opacity monitoring systems. Ameren reports data from its monitoring systems quarterly to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). In an effort to investigate and protect Illinois’ air, the Sierra Club, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council and Respiratory Health Association requested the data from IEPA, which revealed egregious violations of the Clean Air Act by exceeding opacity limits allowed in Ameren’s permit on numerous occasions between 2008 and 2013.
“It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Edwards plant is a pollution problem and Ameren is on the hook to fix it,” said Ann Alexander, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. . “Ameren has dragged their feet on making the necessary improvements for far too long. If they can afford to upgrade their equipment, then they should. If not, they shouldn’t be operating this plant. And nor should anyone else.”
Research by the Clean Air Task Force has shown that Ameren’s Edwards coal plant, mostly constructed in the 1960s, contributes to seven premature deaths, ten heart attacks and more than 100 asthma attacks each year. According to the Respiratory Health Association, hospitalization rates for asthma are highest for those under four years of age and over 65 years of age.
“People with lung disease are among those hardest hit by air pollution and the incidence of those diseases, including asthma and COPD, is still increasing.” said Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs for Respiratory Health Association. “Generating electricity shouldn’t be sickening and killing the most vulnerable among us. Illinois’ constitution states that it is the duty of each person to provide and maintain a healthful environment for the benefit of this and future generations. Coal power is not fulfilling that goal; nonpolluting energy efficiency and clean renewable power sources like wind and solar do and that’s what we as a state should prioritize.”
The lawsuit was announced in a press conference today in Peoria by the Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance, a community group recently formed in the Peoria metro area due to concerns over local air and water pollution caused by the Edwards coal plant. The Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance is comprised of Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste, Central Illinois Global Warming Solutions, Prairie Rivers Network and the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign in Illinois.
“Our community has endured decades of pollution from Ameren’s Edwards coal plant, and we are ready to leave toxic air and water in the past,” said Joyce Blumenshine, Sierra Club Heart of Illinois Group Chair and member of Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance. “We want a healthy place for our families to grow and thrive. It is time to phase out burning coal at the Edwards coal-fired power plant. We’re ready for clean energy and efficiency to replace dependence on fossil fuels.”
“Our community deserves better than polluted air and toxic waste in our water,” said Tracy Fox, representative of Peoria Families Against Toxic Waste and member of Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance. “After years of pollution, it is time to either clean up or phase out burning coal in our community. We are calling on all stakeholders – elected officials and regulators, Ameren, Dynegy, the plant’s workers and their unions, health care providers and their patients, environmentalists, neighborhood and community groups, churches and schools – to collaborate on a plan that ensures justice for all.”
— End —
Monday, April 8, 2013
April 8, 2013
DURBIN: TELL EPA ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ WHEN IT COMES TO S.S. BADGER
Senator Urges Public to Submit Comments on Consent Decree Lodged Last Month
[CHICAGO] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined leading environmental organizations in urging Chicagoans to tell the Environmental Protection Agency to stand by its plans to stop the S.S. Badger’s polluting of Lake Michigan. Last month the EPA announced it had formally lodged a consent decree which would require the Badger to stop dumping coal ash into the lake by 2014.
“The S.S. Badger is the filthiest ship on the Great Lakes, and over the past few years it has exploited every opportunity to remain so,” Durbin said. “The good news for my fellow Chicagoans: you can help end this. The EPA is finally putting its foot down and giving the Badger two years to clean up its act. For the next few weeks members of the public can share their thoughts on the specific requirements of this proposal. I urge anyone concerned with the health of Lake Michigan to tell the Lake Michigan Carferry Service to stop badgering our lake!”
In 2011, the Chicago Tribune published a series of articles calling attention to the pollution from the Badger, which is owned by the Lake Michigan Carferry Service and is the only coal-fired ferry still operating on the Great Lakes. Every year, as the ship brings people and cars between its home port of Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, WI, it dumps 509 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan – more than the total waste dumped by the other 125 largest ships operating on the Great Lakes combined. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead and mercury, all of which cause cancer when consumed in drinking water, cause serious damage to fish populations, and poison fish that are part of the food supply. Last month’s consent decree would end the Badger’s coal ash dumping by 2014 and reduce its discharges each year until then.
“The Badger has been given over five years to do what every other ship has and convert to diesel fuel,” Durbin said. “We as citizens need to make sure this new agreement has the strength to ward off any further delays. Tell the EPA to refuse any more extensions for the Badger and require the ship to demonstrate real progress in cutting down its coal ash discharge.”
The public may submit comment on the proposal until April 26, after which the EPA will conduct a review and issue a final decision on the case. Those seeking to do so can contact the U.S. Department of Justice through email or post. Commenters should reference the case, United States v. Lake Michigan Trans-Lake Shortcut, Inc., d/b/a Lake Michigan Carferry Services and S.S. Badger, and instructions for submission are included at the end of this release.
In 2008, the Badger’s owners were granted a waiver from the EPA to continue operations while retrofitting the ship to run on diesel instead of coal. Rather than complying, they sought numerous extensions of the waiver. The Badger’s owners also negotiated an agreement with the EPA under which the ship was given a December 2012 deadline to install a new boiler that would prevent further coal ash dumping. In an attempt to circumvent the terms of that agreement the Badger’s owners then attempted to secure both the designation of the ship as a National Historic Landmark and legislative language that would exempt “vessels of historic significance” from EPA regulation of discharge. Durbin successfully blocked that language from being added to the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act last year.
“This consent decree should be strengthened, but it offers the quickest end to the SS Badger’s unconscionable dumping of coal ash into Lake Michigan,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “The consent decree should be made clear: the owners of the Badger must state and agree that there will be no more extensions, period. It’s time for the SS Badger to clean up its operations and quit polluting our lake.”
“For as long as we have already been waiting for the Badger’s ash dumping in Lake Michigan to end, the United States must make clear to all that the new deadline is final. Since everyone agrees the solution is feasible, no more excuses,” said Joel Brammeier, President & CEO, Alliance for the Great Lakes.
“Lake Michigan is not an ashtray, it’s our source of drinking water,” said Jack Darin, Director of the Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter. “Coal ash is dirty and toxic, and has no place on our Great Lakes and certainly not in our drinking water. We support Senator Durbin and join his call for the SS Badger to clean up their act immediately and bring an end to the dirty and outdated practice of dumping their toxic waste in our water supply.”
“The Great Lakes are too important to be treated as a dumping ground for toxic mercury coal ash,” said Andy Buchsbaum, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. “The proposed Consent Decree is a good first step, but it needs to be stronger. The millions of people who depend on the Great Lakes are counting on the EPA to stop this harmful practice to protect our environment and economy.”
“We used to think it was a good idea to treat hats with mercury. We learned that it was dangerous, and stopped. We’ve done the same thing with the once widespread dumping coal ash into the Great Lakes, but the folks supporting the Badger haven’t gotten the message,” said Harry Henderson, Midwest Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The EPA is right to push back. We need to strengthen that consent decree and put an end to dumping toxic coal leftovers into the Lakes.”
Instructions for Submitting Public Comment:
Submitting via Email
Send to pubcomment-ees.enrd@usdoj.gov
Include the case number, D.J. Ref. No. 90-5-1-1-10771, in the subject line
Submitting via Post
Send to the Assistant Attorney General, Environment and Natural Resources Division
U.S. DOG – ENRD
P.O. Box 7611
Washington, DC 20044-7611
Friday, March 29, 2013
Today the US Environmental Protection Agency announced improved standards to cut the pollution from gasoline-fueled cars and trucks.
Commending the standards, Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center released the following statement:
“EPA’s new Tier 3 fuel standards combine with the earlier clean car standards to spur technological innovations that reduce pollution in the air we breathe and improve vehicle fuel efficiency,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
On Thursday’s news that Dynegy Corp. has agreed to purchase Ameren’s merchant coal plant portfolio, Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center released the following statement:
“Dynegy criticized granting Ameren a variance that would allow delays in modernizing Ameren’s coal plants. We will strongly encourage Dynegy to commit to promptly clean up the Ameren coal plants it’s buying, unless Dynegy plans to shut them down.”
Monday, February 25, 2013
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Today a coalition of citizen groups, states and U.S. EPA announced a landmark settlement agreement with American Electric Power (AEP) requiring AEP to stop burning coal by 2015 at three power plants in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. AEP also agreed to replace a portion of these coal plants with new wind and solar investments in Indiana and Michigan, bringing more clean energy on line to meet the region’s electricity needs.
AEP will stop burning coal at the Tanners Creek Generating Station Unit 4 in Indiana, the Muskingum River Power Plant Unit 5 in Ohio, and the Big Sandy Power Plant Unit 2 in Kentucky. Collectively, a total of 2,011 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired power will retire as part of the settlement, removing almost 12 million tons of climate-disrupting carbon pollution and nearly 84,000 tons of sulfur dioxide pollution that the three coal-fired power plants spew into the air each year.
“Today’s agreement will protect public health, reduce the threat of climate disruption, and create a cleaner environment for families in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky,” said Jodi Perras, Indiana Campaign Representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “Across the country, the coal industry faces unprecedented setbacks as its share of electricity generation plummets and the cost of coal continues to skyrocket. This agreement is only the latest sign of progress as our country continues to transition away from dirty, dangerous, and expensive coal-fired power plants.”
Today’s settlement comes in a lawsuit originally filed in a federal court in Ohio in 1999, and is a modification to a prior 2007 settlement . Other parties in the suit include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; eight states including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey; and 13 citizens groups including the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Ohio Citizen Action, Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, and the Hoosier Environmental Council.
Coal-fired power plants are the nation’s largest source of mercury, sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution, carbon pollution and many other deadly pollutants that can trigger heart attacks and contribute to respiratory problems. According to estimates from the Clean Air Task Force, 203 deaths, 310 heart attacks, 3,160 asthma attacks, and 188 emergency room visits per year will be averted once the Muskingum River, Tanners Creek and Big Sandy power plants stop burning coal.
“Tanners Creek, Big Sandy, and Muskingum River are dirty and outdated plants that should have been cleaned up or retired decades ago,” said Shannon Fisk, an attorney with Earthjustice who was co-counsel for Sierra Club on this matter. “We’re glad AEP is going to retire these aging dinosaurs, and urge the company to ensure an equitable transition for the workers and communities most directly impacted by these retirements.”
“This agreement will not only cut pollution, it will fund the long term benefits of mitigation efforts that further clean our air and environment,” said Faith Bugel, Senior Clean Air Attorney with the Environmental Law & Policy Center, counsel for eleven of the Citizen Groups.
Under today’s settlement AEP agreed to install pollution-curbing dry sorbent injection (DSI) technology on its massive Rockport coal-fired power plant in Southern Indiana. The 2007 agreement had required AEP to install flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technology at the plant — a more expensive technology that results in greater pollution reductions — but Sierra Club and the other parties agreed to the DSI technology in return for an earlier installation date, the other coal plant retirements, and clean energy investments. AEP will also be required to either retire the two Rockport units in 2025 and 2028, respectively, or to install additional controls designed to achieve removal of at least 98 percent of the sulfur dioxide created by the burning of coal at those units.
Additionally, the agreement commits AEP to developing 50 MW of wind or solar power this year and an additional 150 MW of wind or solar power in Indiana or Michigan by 2015. AEP also agreed to invest $2.5 million to improve air quality in Indiana through various measures including retrofitting outdoor wood boilers, investing in distributed renewable generation, and land acquisition.
“Across the Midwest and the Great Plains, in states like Iowa and South Dakota that already get 20 percent of their energy from wind sources, clean energy is powering homes, putting people back to work, and protecting families from dangerous and expensive coal-fired power plants,” said Kerwin Olson, Executive Director of Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. “Indiana has one of the fastest growing wind industries in the nation and is creating thousands of local jobs. This settlement builds on that success and will only accelerate Indiana’s and our nation’s responsible transition to an economy powered by clean, renewable, affordable sources of energy.”
“With enormous potential for jobs in clean energy and energy efficiency, it is critical that AEP use the next three years to invest in affordable clean energy projects and transition workers into new careers,” said Jesse Kharbanda, Executive Director of the Hoosier Environmental Council. “By replacing decades-old coal plants with homegrown, clean and affordable energy sources, AEP can do right by affected workers and their families, and continue clean energy job creation across Indiana and Ohio.”
The other citizens groups involved in the AEP settlement are the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, West Virginia Environmental Council, Clean Air Council, Environment America, National Wildlife Federation, League of Ohio Sportsmen, Izaak Walton League, and the Indiana Wildlife Federation. The above-mentioned groups are all represented by the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
The retirements of the Tanners Creek Generating Station in Indiana, the Muskingum River Power Plant and the Big Sandy Power Plant in Kentucky represent the 140th, 141st, and 142nd coal plants to retire or announce their retirement since 2010. Since January 2010, more than 50,000 megawatts of coal-fired power have been retired or committed for retirement nationwide.
Monday, December 17, 2012
STATEMENT OF HOWARD A. LEARNER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER
ON
MIDWEST GENERATION’S BANKRUPTCY FILING
(DECEMBER 17, 2012)
“Midwest Generation has failed to succeed in the competitive Illinois electricity power market. It has been outcompeted on price by Exelon’s nuclear plants, new wind power farms and natural gas plants. While other coal plant owners such as Dynegy have modernized their plants, Midwest Generation lags behind.”
“Low wholesale electricity prices are good for Illinois residential and business consumers as the competitive power market separates out power plant winners and losers. When Midwest Generation was profiting while wholesale electricity market prices were high, it sent dividends to its parent company in California; now, while wholesale market prices are low, the California-based parent has not supported Midwest Generation and has helped to trigger the bankruptcy.”
“We regret the impacts on Illinois workers and communities where Midwest Generation’s coal plants are located. We will engage to make sure that if these old highly-polluting coal plants continue to operate, that they are cleaned up with the installation of modern pollution control equipment.”
Friday, December 14, 2012
Iowa Environmental, Health Advocates Commend Soot Standards
Cutting Soot Good for People, Good for Planet
DES MOINES – Environmental and public health leaders from across Iowa joined Friday in commending new national standards to improve air quality and cut soot pollution.
“Soot is clogging people’s lungs and harming our health,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “These reasonable new clean air standards will accelerate deployment of better technologies that reduce pollution, improve public health and make the air safer to breathe.”
The standards target tiny pollutants from the burning of fuels like coal and diesel that have been connected to a wide range of harmful health impacts. Public health leaders see an opportunity to improve the lives of people in Iowa.
“The Iowa Public Health Association supports soot standards which safeguard the health of our children, the elderly, and people with asthma and other lung diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes,” said Jeneane Moody, Executive Director, Iowa Public Health Association.
“Breathing particle pollution can damage the lungs and heart, trigger asthma attacks and heart attacks, and potentially even cause cancer and developmental and reproductive harm. Assuring safe air quality is key to assuring the health of Iowans,” said Moody.
Jessica Brackett, Executive Director of Clean Air Muscatine, noted that her city is not in compliance with Clean Air Act standards, which should serve as a call to action.
“For the sake of our public health, and our local economy, we must improve our air quality,” she said. “Ultimately, these safety standards will help Muscatine become a healthier community, build a more vibrant local economy, and become a destination city for those who appreciate the magnificence of nature at its finest.”
“Muscatine is much like other river cities. Our economy is fueled by industry with aging equipment, powered by coal, and dependent on heavy industrial and commuter traffic on a poorly designed transportation system, while our breathtaking bluffs exacerbate our air quality issues because of inversion,” added Brackett.
National clean air advocates added their support for the new standards and urged people to fight any challenges the new standards face going forward.
“People everywhere have a sacred right to clean air. Let’s make sure we protect that right here at home and our children will breathe easier,” said Dominique Browning, co-founder of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Moms Clean Air Force. “We cannot allow pro-polluters to weaken the Clean Air Act.
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Illinois Environmental, Health Advocates Commend Soot Standards
Cutting Soot Good for People, Good for Planet
CHICAGO – Environmental and public health leaders from across Illinois joined Friday in commending new national standards to improve air quality and cut soot pollution.
“Soot is clogging people’s lungs and harming our health,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “These reasonable new clean air standards will accelerate deployment of better technologies that reduce pollution, improve public health and make the air safer to breathe.”
The standards target tiny pollutants from the burning of fuels like coal and diesel that have been connected to a wide range of harmful health impacts. Public health leaders see an opportunity to improve the lives of people in Illinois.
“In Illinois, where almost 14 percent of the population has asthma, improving air quality is critical,” said Dr. Sarah Lovinger, Executive Director, Chicago Physicians for Social Responsibility. “National standards are needed because pollution doesn’t stop at state borders.”
Dr. Sue Buchanan, of the University of Illinois-Chicago’s department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, said the new standards are particularly important for children. “Illinois is known for both its dirty air and its high rates of childhood asthma, especially in our urban areas,” she said. “Science has clearly shown that particulate matter emitted into the air affects the public’s health – from higher rates of heart attacks and asthma attacks to preterm births. Stronger standards on particulate matter pollution will show direct benefits to our children and to those who suffer from heart and lung disease.”
Brian Urbaszewski of Respiratory Health Association noted the historic nature of the new standards. “Fine particles are extremely dangerous, triggering both asthma and heart attacks, while increasing lung cancer risk, hospital admissions and premature deaths,” he said. “Today, EPA finally set air quality standards based on the medical evidence that will protect vulnerable people with lung disease from dangerous air pollution.”
National clean air advocates added their support for the new standards and urged people to fight any challenges the new standards face going forward.
“People everywhere have a sacred right to clean air. Let’s make sure we protect that right here at home and our children will breathe easier,” said Dominique Browning, co-founder of the Environmental Defense Fund’s Moms Clean Air Force. “We cannot allow pro-polluters to weaken the Clean Air Act.
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