I posted the following
comment to the Trib's editorial:
The Tribune editorial puts
the Bull Mountain project into very clear perspective. Since it is within
commuting distance of Billings, most of the jobs and economic impact will
benefit that city, and since IGCC doesn't produce harmful pollutants like mercury,
acid rain, and particulates which cause asthma, there is very little downside
for the local area (although CO2 production will be enormous, and sequestration
is very costly and largely unproven).
Not so with the Highwood
Station. Our smelter has been closed down for more than 20 years, yet we are
only beginning to get out from under the tremendous health and economic
consequences of being showered with heavy metals, arsenic, and other pollutants
for nearly a century. The same is true of Butte and Anaconda. Lawton's
"Big Lie" which the editorial repeats is that the Highwood station is
"clean coal". It is marginally cleaner than Colstrip for some
pollutants, but at least 80% as bad overall. Add this to our legacy from the
smelter, and we have another crushing burden on our ecological and economic
future.
Remember what the Highwood
Station will produce in the way of pollutants.
Emissions Inventory:
According to the draft Air
Quality Permit, the Highwood Power Project would release the following
pollutants to the atmosphere:
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 443
tons per year
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) 944
tons per year
Carbon Monoxide (CO) 1177
tons per year
Particulate Matter (PM-10)*
366 tons per year
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
equivalent** 3,052,081 tons per year
(equivalent to 561,000
cars)
Sulfuric Acid Mist 62 tons
per year
Volatile Organic Carbon
(VOC) 38 tons per year
Hydrochloric Acid Gas (HCl)
24 tons per year
Hydrofluoric Acid Gas (HF)
20 tons per year
Mercury 40 pounds per year
*Note that Particulate
Matter includes metals such as Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Manganese, and 560
pounds of lead.
** Note that the CO2e
emissions of this plant represents an increase of 7.5% over ALL sources of
greenhouse gases in Montana.
It's not an
"answer" that much of these pollutants will be blown northeast to
contaminate Fort Benton, Havre, and Rocky Boy. Ask the people there what they
think about it!
And check the Citizens for
Clean Energy website:
Paul Stephens