EPA wants three state coal plants to convert

Mar 07 - Tulsa World

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposal Monday to require three of Oklahoma's oldest coal-fired power plants to switch to cleaner-burning natural gas or install technology to control pollution.

EPA's announcement triggered immediate criticism from U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., who warned Oklahoma families, farmers and manufacturers will bear the brunt of what he called a regulatory power grab.

Built more than three decades ago, the three power plants are operated by American Electric Power/Public Service Co. northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) plant near Muskogee and the OG&E Sooner plant in north central Oklahoma.

EPA said the companies have three years to add sulfur dioxide scrubbers, switch to natural gas or a combination of those two approaches.

"The steps we are taking to address the sulfur pollution from the oldest coal power plants will improve air quality for generations to come," said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz.

"Everyone must continue to take efforts to reduce pollution, use cleaner sources of energy, and preserve our national wildlife areas."

Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director Steve Thompson said his agency would be in discussions with the secretaries of energy and environment to determine the state's next step.

"We believed that the State Implementation Plan provided the best opportunity to meet the long-term goal of the regional haze provisions of the Clean

Air Act while mitigating its impacts on economic growth," Thompson said. "We are disappointed that it has been rejected."

Inhofe viewed the move as over-reaching by a federal government.

"State officials in Oklahoma did the right thing," he said.

"They worked with state utilities to devise a plan that will continue progress in cleaning the air while ensuring affordable, reliable electricity for consumers. But that was too much for the Obama EPA, which rejected the Oklahoma-led plan in favor of their preferred scheme to put Washington bureaucrats in charge and, ultimately, to make fossil-fuel-based electricity more expensive for consumers."

Inhofe, who is the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, vowed to use that position to work with Oklahoma officials to protect consumers from EPA's attack on affordable electricity.

EPA said its actions were necessary to meet regional haze requirements under the Clean Air Act, adding its evaluation of a plan submitted by Oklahoma found that all state sources of air pollution except these three coal-fired power plants will meet the level of control needed to address the legal requirements.

Publication of the proposal in the Federal Register will begin a 60-day public comment period.

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