Jul 28 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Bob Downing The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Three Ohio coal-burning power plants are among the dirtiest in the United States, according to a report released Thursday by the Environmental Integrity Project.

Named in the report by the Washington, D.C.-based eco-group as being among the 50 most polluting plants in the nation are:

--Conesville in Coshocton County at No. 14.

--Avon Lake in Lorain County at No. 27.

--Beckjord in Clermont County at No. 43.

The plants were ranked on the basis of how much pollution they released in producing one kilowatt hour of power.

The rankings covered emissions of sulfur dioxide, which contributes to acid rain and health problems; nitrogen oxide, which causes smog and breathing problems; mercury, which is a threat to pregnant women and children, and carbon dioxide, a global-warming gas that is not regulated.

The report's author, Ilan Levin, said the Conesville, Avon Lake and Beckjord plants are older, less efficient operations that produce more pollution.

Eight other Ohio coal-fired plants were cited in the report, entitled Dirty Kilowatts.

Industry groups took issue with the findings.

"There is no great surprise that the Environmental Integrity Project seems to be working the numbers to make an improving situation look bad," said Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, which includes Akron's FirstEnergy Corp. "... In many ways, EIP just can't see the forest for the trees."

The report contains eight lists of the 50 worst offenders for total amounts of four pollutants and for emission rates. The rankings were based largely on 2005 pollution and electric production data reported by utility companies to federal agencies. The mercury statistics are from 2004.

Ohio has nine power plants on the list for sulfur dioxide pollution by tons; that's more than any other state. The Muskingum River plant in Washington County is No. 5, and FirstEnergy's Sammis plant in Jefferson County is No. 13.

For nitrogen oxide pollution by tons, American Electric Power's Gavin plant in Gallia County is No. 3 and the Sammis plant is No. 19. Three other Ohio plants also are on the list.

Three Ohio plants are on the list for mercury pollution by pounds, with the Conesville plant No. 10.

For carbon dioxide by tons, the Gavin plant is ranked No. 9 and the Sammis plant is No. 22. One other Ohio plant also is ranked.

Ohio's rankings were no surprise because the state has 28 large and old coal-burning power plants.

In the United States, power plants produce two-thirds of the sulfur dioxide emissions, 22 percent of the nitrogen oxide emissions, 33 percent of the mercury emissions and 40 percent of the carbon dioxide, Levin said.

FirstEnergy spokeswoman Ellen Raines said utility companies pay little attention to such rankings.

"It is important for us to comply with all federal, state and local regulations -- and we do -- while producing electricity for our customers," she said.

Raines said the high rankings at the Sammis plant will start changing because the company is investing $1.7 billion to make major improvements there.

The company is installing scrubbers and selected catalytic reduction equipment to cut emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, she said, and those improvements will also reduce mercury emissions.

The improvements, required under a 2005 federal consent decree between FirstEnergy and the U.S. Justice Department, will be implemented in the next few years, she said.

Additional federal mandates also will have big effects on FirstEnergy's pollution totals, she said.

The report is available at www.environmentalintegrity.org  or www.dirtykilowatts.org .

 

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com .