Jan 16 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Emily Killian The Shelby Star,
N.C.
Green and yellow stickers dotted the shirts of meeting attendees Thursday
night as more than 500 of them came out to have their say about Duke
Energy's changes to its state air quality permitting application.
At the meeting, in front of N.C. Division of Air Quality officials,
supporters wore green "Cliffside Yes" stickers, while many in opposition
wore yellow stickers to distinguish themselves.
More than 80 people signed up to speak at the standing-room-only meeting at
Chase High School's auditorium in Rutherford County. Those in attendance
included local government leaders and residents of Cleveland and Rutherford
counties, along with environmental activists, many of whom came from as far
away as Asheville. The Cleveland County Chamber has rallied support for the
new coal-fired 800-megawatt generator at the Cleveland-Rutherford County
site.
Opposition leaders held a protest and press conference before the meeting,
and brought along "Stop Cliffside" signs and lumps of coal with holiday
wrappings that they intended to give to Duke Energy leaders.
They are calling for the Division of Air Quality to halt Duke Energy's plans
and for newly inaugurated Gov. Bev Perdue to look into how the state's air
quality division has handled the permitting process.
The issue: Public comments on a revision to Duke Energy's permit to build
and operate a new unit at the company's Cliffside plant. The company would
be closing four units that were built in the 1940s.
Major players: Duke Energy, environmental activists, local leaders and
residents
The history:
On Oct. 23, 2008, Duke Energy submitted an application to modify its
existing permit to build a new unit at its Cliffside coal-fired steam power
plant in Cliffside. They would like for it to be classified as a "minor
source" of pollutants, said Ed Martin, permit engineer in Raleigh office of
the Division of Air Quality.
Their requested permit change would alter the project's status and make it
be labeled as a minor environmental risk, meaning that hazardous pollutants
would be less than 25 tons total, with no more than 10 tons of a single
hazardous substance.
While this is not a significant modification, the state is soliciting
comments because of public concern, he said.
The state's air quality department has not made a final decision yet on the
permit change and will not do so until some time after a second public
hearing later this month.
Duke Energy expects the unit to begin operation in 2012.
What they said:
Who: Mike Cherin of Union Mills, works for the Canary Coalition
There to: Oppose the permit change
Cherin took coal chunks to the meeting and said he wanted Duke Energy
officials to take the coal home, bake it and experience the various toxins
produced.
"I invite Duke Energy to invest my ratepayer dollars in clean energy not,
not 20 years from now," he said.
He has chronic bronchitis and said his breathing is affected by emissions.
"The air quality here is already filled with dangerous toxins that I am
dramatically affected by," he said.
He called the company's permit change request "spurious" and said Duke
Energy is lying to go around tighter controls that would be in place with a
"major" air pollutant status.
Who: Debbie Clary, State Senator representing Cleveland and Rutherford
counties
There to: Support the permit change
"Clean air is essential to public health," she said. "The value of clean air
cannot be measured."
She said Duke Energy's technology for the new unit is state of the art and
that it will set precedents as being one of the cleanest plants in the
nation.
"The bottom line is that environmental controls are state of the art," she
said.
She also read a letter from Cleveland County's state Rep. Tim Moore, who
likewise supports it.
Who: William Gupton, a resident of Mecklenberg County who has been an
organic chemistry instructor and biology teacher
There to: Oppose the permit change
He asked for the state to deny the modification and was skeptical about the
proposed designation change since the numbers used for it came without
changing the plant's equipment or operations, he said.
Who: Brownie Plaster, a Cleveland County resident and community leader who
was a co-founder of the Broad River Greenway
There to: Support the permit change
She said Duke Energy is practical, not idealistic, and that the project will
eliminate four older units. The end result is that power output increases
with fewer pollutants.
Who: Beth Henry, read a joint statement on behalf of several public interest
groups
There to: Oppose the permit change
She said by granting the original permit that the N.C. Division of Air
Quality has lost credibility.
She said the modified permit would be using Duke Energy's "magic numbers."
"We are calling on Governor (Bev) Perdue to review the actions of DAQ ...
and to do all that she can to reduce the toxins that will be emitted by
Cliffside."
Who: Otis Crowder, contractor in Charlotte who works on energy products
There to: Support the permit change
He supports Duke's claim that the new unit will be a minor source of
pollutants and said that heavy metals such as mercury and selenium will be
removed.
Who: Adelaide Craver, past chair of Cleveland County's 20/20 economic
development group
There to: Support the permit change
"All of us in these horrible economic times are frantic about unemployment,"
she said. "We must get more plants in to get economic development to provide
jobs for our people."
"When a company comes in looking for sites, one of the first questions out
of their mouths are, 'What are your energy sources, are they safe, reliable
and affordable?,'" she said.
"Coal, while we worry about some damages from it, there must be
environmental controls to make use of this reasonable priced source of
energy," she said.
Who: Avram Friedman, executive director of the Canary Coalition
There to: Oppose the permit change
"The main purpose is to stop Cliffside and the building of unit six by Duke
Energy. We are protesting the process the DAQ is using during this hearing
process. We have asked for hearings in the more populated areas of the state
in addition to this. People in Forest City have a right to have a hearing
here, but we have a right in Asheville and in Charlotte and in Greensboro
and Raleigh."
Who: Kim Tongel, family is affected by the construction
There to: Support the permit change
Her husband works with Shaw, the construction company at the Cliffside plant
He had been out of work for 11 months and the family had to sell their home.
He's now working on the plant and their lives are coming back together, she
said.
Who: Rick Murphrey, mayor of Kings Mountain
There to: Support the permit change
He said Duke Energy is a good corporate partner and citizen and that by
opening the new unit, Duke Energy will be able to close down the
more-polluting older units.
"It's a win-win situation and I hope it will put a lot of people to work,"
he said.
What's next: Another hearing on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. at Mac Gray Auditorium,
Statesville Senior High School in Statesville
Can't go? Send comments by Jan. 22 to: donald.vandervaart@ncmail.net
Don Van der Vaart, DAQ Permits Section, Re: Cliffside permit, N.C. Division
of Air Quality, 1641 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC, 27699-1641
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