Alliant's proposed coal plant

Alliant's proposed coal plant uses outmoded technology that will continue to pollute our lakes, contribute to global warming and make our children and elderly sick

The Wisconsin State Journal’s editorial in support of Alliant’s plan to build a coal-fired power plant in Cassville wants to have it both ways: it admits that coal plants “spew soot, smog, and mercury that can trigger asthma attacks, pollute lakes and make fish dangerous to eat,” yet somehow still concludes, hey, that’s no big deal.

Unfortunately, the citizens of Wisconsin can’t have it both ways, because we can no longer afford to keep relying on an outmoded technology that is poisoning our lakes, contributing to global warming, and making our children and elderly sick. The editorial admits that coal plants produce carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming, but doesn’t suggest that Alliant should build a plant that reduces that threat. WSJ says that “limiting poisonous emissions should certainly be a priority.” Yet, the editorial endorses the state’s continued reliance on last-century coal-burning technology that, however “scrubbed,” still emits thousands of tons of poisonous gases into Wisconsin’s air and water. WSJ’s statements don’t make sense, and neither does Alliant’s irresponsible plan.

WSJ buys into the common misconception that old-fashioned coal plants provide “cheap energy.” Here is the true cost of coal: In Wisconsin alone, 11,949 asthma attacks per year are attributable to power plant pollution, resulting in increased health care costs and lost work and school days. Fifteen thousand Wisconsin lakes and every mile of Wisconsin’s rivers are contaminated with mercury, resulting in economic impacts to the sport fishing and tourism industries, and health impacts from eating fish containing this potent neurotoxin.

In 2005, the existing Cassville plant put 1,715,000 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a number that would more than double with the addition of a new plant. When carbon is regulated in the U.S., utilities will pay a premium for each ton of carbon they emit, and they will pass every penny of those costs along to ratepayers. If you think your electricity bill is high now, just wait. These costs could easily be avoided by investments in energy efficiency, zero-emissions renewable sources, and technologies that reduce or control carbon emissions.

Building another old-technology coal plant that will add millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere completely ignores the reality of global warming. According to the National Academy of Sciences, man-made carbon dioxide pollution is the single greatest contributor to the rise in earth’s temperature and the increase in weather-related catastrophes, and coal-burning power plants are the leading stationary source of carbon. In fact, Wisconsin has joined nine other states in a lawsuit against the EPA for its failure to regulate carbon dioxide pollution from power plants.

Alliant is not guaranteeing cheap energy. It is not proposing to use technology that has the potential to reduce the threat of global warming or limit emissions of other toxic pollutants as much as possible. Instead, the coal plant Alliant wants to build would be a giant step backward for Wisconsin.

Katie Nekola
Energy Program Director
Clean Wisconsin