Dirty old coal: Update on Oak Creek's 45-year-old plants

Katie Nekola

Clean Wisconsin has long made it a priority to advocate for the cleanup or shutdown of old, dirty coal plants. Thanks to your support, we are making great progress. We are currently looking at whether it makes economic and environmental sense to install pollution controls on Oak Creek's old coal-fired power plants, or whether it would be better to simply shut them down and find cleaner sources of energy that don't contribute to global warming and other air and water pollution.

Old-technology coal burners are a primary source of global warming and air and water pollution that threaten public health. They send toxic mercury into Wisconsin's waterways, contaminating fish and creating a significant health hazard to humans.

Last year, the DNR was required to enact more stringent rules governing the amount of air pollution that these units could emit, and power plants owners across the state must now finally take steps to install modern pollution controls on old dirty plants.

Although the new clean air rules require reductions in certain air pollutants, they don't deal with global warming pollutants at all. Thus, the equipment that utilities are planning to install at coal plants does nothing to control greenhouse gases, and in fact would allow major sources of global warming pollution to keep operating for decades longer.

WE Energies has proposed to spend over $800 million to install pollution controls at its old Oak Creek coal units in Southeastern Wisconsin. In order to do so, they must ask the Public Service Commission for permission to raise electric rates in order to pay the bill. Clean Wisconsin is partnering with the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) to intervene in the case. Our groups will analyze whether the technology being proposed to clean up the plant is the best, most cost effective available; whether it will reduce pollutants such as mercury, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide to the maximum degree possible; and what the utility plans to do about its carbon dioxide emissions, among other questions. Does it make sense for customers to pay nearly a billion dollars in order to keep these old coal burners operating for another 30 years, when we need to take action against global warming now?

Clean Wisconsin and CUB will hire experts to review the company's forecasted and actual need for power to serve its customers, which will tell us whether these old units are needed or whether the utility can meet its customers' energy needs with its other generating units, energy efficiency and conservation, and wind power. Preliminary numbers provided by WE Energies show that their actual electricity sales have fallen far short of the demand growth they predicted a few years ago when they wanted to justify building the new Elm Road 1,300 megawatt coal-burning facility.

The bottom line is whether it makes economic and environmental sense to install pollution controls on old coal-fired power plants, or whether it would be better to simply shut them down and find cleaner sources of energy that don't contribute to global warming and other air and water pollution. There will be a public hearing in the Racine area in January where you can express your opinion; we encourage you to attend and make your voice heard and argue for a Clean Wisconsin! Please watch our web site or contact Katie Nekola for details. For more information, contact Katie Nekola at (608) 251-7020 extension 14 or by email at knekola@cleanwisconsin.org.