WildEarth Guardians

Thursday, September 1, 2011
North Dakota on Track for Cleaner Air

Proposed EPA Plan Would Curtail Pollution from Seven Coal-fired Power Plants
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x 1303

Denver—Spurred by WildEarth Guardians’ legal efforts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed a comprehensive clean air plan for the state of North Dakota to reduce haze forming pollution, providing greater protection for public health and the environment.

“This proposal is a solid step forward in confronting air pollution from dirty energy in North Dakota,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarth Guardians.  “This long overdue EPA plan ensures that the oldest, dirtiest coal-fired power plants in North Dakota are retrofitted with modern air pollution controls, providing a springboard for cleaner energy and a healthier future.”

The EPA proposal would partially approve and partially disapprove a plan originally submitted by the State of North Dakota.  For the portions of the plan that the EPA has proposed to disapprove, the Agency developed its own federal plan to meet the Clean Air Act. The proposal also kicks off a 60-day public comment and also a public hearing, which is scheduled for October 13 in Bismarck. 

The federal plan would impose requirements to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions using top-tier emission controls at four coal-fired power plants—Coal Creek, Leland Olds, Milton Young, and Antelope Valley.  The plan also approves North Dakota’s proposal to further reduce emissions from three other coal-fired power plants—Stanton, Heskett, and Coyote.  Many of these plants burn lignite coal, the dirtiest kind of coal.

Although the driver for the EPA’s proposal is a program under the Clean Air Act aimed at reducing haze pollution in National Parks and Wilderness Areas, the same pollutants that form haze are also responsible for urban smog, acid rain, and deadly particulate matter pollution.  A report by the Clean Air Task Force found that air pollution from coal-fired power plants in North Dakota every year put 207 people at risk of premature death, 321 at risk of heart attacks, and 3,500 at risk of asthma attacks, all at a cost of more than $1 billion.

“Without a doubt, this haze plan will save lives,” said Nichols.  “By keeping tens of thousands of tons of air pollution out of the air, this proposal will ensure North Dakota’s air quality stays as clean as possible.”

The overall plan would cut emissions of three main pollutants, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxides, and particulate matter.  In total, cleaning up the coal-fired power plants in North Dakota will cut sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 98,000 tons/year and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 40,000 tons/year.  This will be like taking 2,094,240 cars off the road (according to the EPA, a passenger vehicle emits 38.2 pounds of nitrogen oxides annually).

The plan would markedly improve visibility in treasured landscapes, such as Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

In disapproving portions of North Dakota’s plan, the EPA found that the state failed to accurately assess the costs of air pollution controls and failed to comply with other provisions of the Clean Air Act.  Under the Clean Air Act, states normally develop clean air plans.  However, where such plans are inconsistent with the law, the EPA is legally obligated to develop a federal plan.

The EPA finally issued today’s proposal after being sued by WildEarth Guardians over its failure to meet deadlines related to regional haze plans and interstate transport of air pollution.  Under the terms of a 2009 settlement agreement, which was later modified, the EPA agreed to issue a proposed rule by September 1, 2011 and a final rule by mid-February of 2012.