Environmental groups dropped their opposition to two different coal-fired power plant expansion projects in Wisconsin and Texas this week after the utilities agreed to a range of concessions designed to limit the environmental impacts of the plants. In Texas, power company NRG reached an agreement with Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition and the Environmental Defense Fund that requires the company to offset or sequester half of its carbon dioxide emissions until federal climate legislation is passed; cap the levels of mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide the facility can emit; reduce the coal plant's use of water by over half, as well as other measures. In Wisconsin, the Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin dropped their legal challenges to a coal-fired power plant's expansion in exchange for utility We Energies agreeing to retire two older coal plants in Michigan by 2012 and agreeing to support legislation increasing Wisconsin's renewable-energy standard to 25 percent by 2025. "We've been fighting for more than seven years ... It's time to put this [plant] behind us and focus on the other ones that are in the pipeline," said Bruce Nilles of the Sierra Club.
source: Reuters, Environmental Defense Fund
see also, in Grist:Coal-bashing is hot new trend in Congress, science circles, and business world
see also, in Gristmill: King Coal’s year of rejection by banks, judges, and a lot of other folks
Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things
Comments
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Montana Green Posted 4:35 am
07 Aug 2008
Seriously, how will the Sierra Club hold the utilities to their promise to close down those plants? Do they have a written contractual agreement with millions in penalties if they don't close them? Given the current energy mania in the country, why oh why would the Sierra Club expect that, four years from now, they won't be told "we can't close these plants -- it would only drive up energy costs to consumers?"
Industry promises like these are easy to make and even easier to break due to "changing conditions."
But I'd be interested to see just how solid and binding these "agreements" are -- as in, do you folks have anything in writing you'd be willing to post?
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Wolverine Posted 5:33 am
07 Aug 2008
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Delay And Deny Posted 7:04 am
07 Aug 2008
Greens have made the first step in rational dialog.
Now the "other side" must live up to its promises...
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11 Aug 2008
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