WildEarth Guardians

Thursday, December 1, 2011
South Dakota Clean Air Plan Promises Major Cuts in Toxic Coal Pollution

Clean Energy Gets a Boost
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x 1303

Denver—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed to approve a plan for South Dakota that would cut more than 32,000 tons of toxic air pollution from the State’s largest coal-fired power plant, providing greater protection for public health and the environment.

“This plan continues to underscore the fact that coal-fired power plants are taking a tremendous toll on our clean air,” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and Energy Program Director for WildEarth Guardians.  “More importantly, it’s huge step forward in exposing the true costs of coal and the possibilities of cleaner energy.” 

The plan was developed to reduce haze pollution, which is formed from smokestack pollution, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions.  Haze not only degrades scenic vistas in treasured National Parks, such as Badlands National Park, but is also a sign of unhealthy air quality. In fact, the same pollutants that form haze are the same pollutants that form smog, trigger asthma attacks, and send the elderly to the hospital.

A keystone of the plan is that it would require the Big Stone power plant, a 450-megawatt coal-fired power plant that is the oldest and dirtiest in South Dakota, to upgrade its emission controls.  The plan would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions using selective catalytic reduction, essentially a glorified catalytic converter, by 16,000 tons annually.  That will be like taking more than 800,000 cars off the road.  It would also reduce sulfur dioxide emissions using a scrubber by 16,120 tons annually. 

The plan also underscores the rising cost of burning coal for electricity.  Although the clean up of Big Stone, which is operated by Otter Tail Power, will be cost-effective, it will require more than $250 million in capital investment.

“While certainly we need to clean up this toxic pollution, this latest retrofit begs the question of whether it makes more sense to simply retire the Big Stone power plant and invest in energy that’s clean from the start,” said Nichols.  “In any case, the reality is clear that the liability of coal is greater than ever, making clean energy the more attractive alternative.”

The proposal will be published in the Federal Register in the next week, which will kick off a 30-60 day public comment period.  According to a court order, the final plan must be approved by EPA by March 29, 2012.