Enviro groups appeal coal-fired power plant case
February 11, 2008 at 1:32 pm by Thomas Wheatley in NewsAn Atlanta-based environmental law firm today in Fulton County Superior Court appealed a recent decision that would allow a coal-fired power plant to billow in southwest Georgia. GreenLaw, a firm representing Friends of the Chattahoochee and the Sierra Club, says that the proposed Plant Longleaf in Early County has the potential to release 9 million tons of global-warming pollution annually — the equivalent of putting 1.3 million new cars on Georgia’s roads each year. Dynegy, the company that would build the plant, says it would add jobs to one of the poorest counties in the state.
Opponents of the proposed plant have criticized the state Environmental Protection Division for what it calls a flawed permitting process. The agency did not impose a limit on the amount of carbon dioxide Plant Longleaf would release.
“The need for this plant has never been established,” says Bobby McLendon, a timber farmer and member of Friends of the Chattahoochee who lives near the proposed plant. “But more important, we know that the particulate matter from this plant will increase the number of asthma attacks and incidence of heart disease in Early County, as well as in Albany 50 miles east and in Columbus 80 miles to the north. Why are Georgia’s environmental protection officials content to swap dirty power for the healthy lives of people here in South Georgia?”
GreenLaw attorneys plan to submit evidence that the court did not hear during the first hearing. A hearing for oral arguments will likely be set within 90 days, the group says. For more information about the case, click here or visit GreenLaw’s website here.
February 11th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Thank God there are sensible judges still out there to administer the law and not bend to the greenies !
February 11th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
This may be the most important lawsuit in Georgia right now (yeah, yeah: hyperbole alert). Coal produces more carbon dioxide per BTU than does any other fuel. If our state EPD continues to allow — and encourage — the companies that are building these plants continue to marry our state’s future to dirty coal, we’ll be stuck in the future with an outmoded technology that’s likely to be heavily taxed or even illegal. Meanwhile, New York’s conserving, Texas and California are building wind farms, Washington has hyrdroelectric, and Hawaii’s fiddling with everything. http://www.khon2.com/news/local/15473726.html
February 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Ken is right that dirty coal is a bad alternative. Georgia is pretty much limited to hydro, clean coal and nuclear.
Conservation is always a good idea, but the benefits are not as effective as NY because of population density. A percentage point of saving in GA is a lot less energy than a percentage point in NY. Doesn’t GA produce a surplus of electricity already? That means the conservation is most important in the markets dependant on GA electricity. That does nto mean we should not conserve.
Wind farms would only work in coastal areas and, possibly, the lower plains around Adel and Tifton. Good luck getting wind farms off of Tybee, St Simons, Jekyll or the Cumberland NAtional Seashore.
Try building a dam in GA and watch somebody freak about water rights or the Split Toad Tree Hopping Catfish Woodpecker.
Nuclear? hahahahaha a good idea for France and the US Navy, but the enviros just begin to convulse when you mention a nuke plant. Plus, one reason for the extra non-nuke capacity is that droughts remove cooling water from nukes, which can reduce their output enough to cause an electricity shortage.
So, clean coal it is. I don’t know how much cleaner it is than dirty coal, but it seems to be ok with many of the enviro groups and may be the least damaging alternative.
In the case of a surplus, electricity is sold to other parts for the country and that can help reduce the cost of electricity to GA residents. This is a tremendous benefit to the poorest residents and the businesses which create jobs, assuming the regulators are paying attention.