Coal plants hit by groups in pollution planJun 14 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel
Environmentalists are questioning Florida's latest plans to comply with federal clean-air requirements without mandating that two of its heaviest-polluting coal-fired power plants meet the stricter pollution limits. Last month, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection released a plan for complying with the tougher ambient air-quality standards for sulfur-dioxide emissions that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency put in place in 2010. But the Sierra Club of Florida and Earthjustice have petitioned DEP to toughen its plan, specifically for two coal plants, in Crystal River and Panama City, which they contend would exceed the new, stricter limits for sulfur dioxide emissions. "Florida's existing regulations have proven insufficient to prevent [ambient air-quality] exceedances at Crystal River Plant and Lansing Plant," the groups wrote this week in comments to DEP. "Modeling shows that those plants are causing ... violations over the Crystal River regions and over Panama City Beach." The Crystal River plant is owned By North Carolina-based Duke Energy, which bought Progress Energy. The Lansing plant is owned by Gulf Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Co. Exposure to sulfur dioxide has been associated with respiratory problems, like shortness of breath, and pre-term births. Since the 1970s, the United States has cracked down on emissions to combat acid rain. Unlike carbon dioxide emissions, which have been increasing, sulfur dioxide emissions dropped 33 percent from 1983 to 2002. This month, the EPA is expected to designate regions around the country as "non-attainment" areas where the 2010 standards haven't been met. The agency notified DEP in February that it intended to designate only Hillsborough and Nassau counties as regions not in compliance with the sulfur limits. While the plants in Crystal River and Panama City have higher sulfur emissions than required by the new standards -- and would have to reduce their emissions by nearly 80 percent to meet the new requirements -- the state and federal government have still labeled both counties as "attainment areas" that will meet the higher standards for now. At the Crystal River plant in Citrus County, the environmental groups' modeling suggests unsafe air extends for "tens of miles" around the plant, including over Crystal Bay. At the Lansing plant, the pollution plume extends over almost all of Panama City and Panama City Beach. The environmental groups also admit both plants have taken steps to curb their sulfur emissions but argue those steps won't be in place for years and would still allow the plants to exceed the tougher standards. DEP spokesman Patrick Gillespie said the groups' comments would be included in its final report, and he defended the state's efforts to improve air quality. Sulfur dioxide emissions from utilities had dropped 78 percent from 2000 to 2012, and Florida had the most comprehensive monitoring systems in the Southeastern United States, he said. "Florida's air is among the cleanest in the nation," he said. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28967818 |