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July 9, 2008
Contact:
Katie Nekola, Energy Program Director,
608.212.8751
Alliant to Public Service Commission: Don't Consider Global Warming in Coal Plant Proposal
Argument Inconsistent with Company's Support of Global Warming Task Force Recommendations
Madison, Wis - Less than two weeks after voting in favor
of recommendations to reduce Wisconsin's greenhouse gas emissions 75 percent
by 2050, Alliant Energy Corporation submitted comments to the Public Service
Commission last week arguing that global warming pollution should not be
considered in the environmental impact statement of their proposed coal
plant.
"Alliant acknowledged that Wisconsin must reduce global warming pollution
when it recently voted in favor of Governor Doyle's Global Warming Task
Force recommendations," said Katie Nekola, energy program director at Clean
Wisconsin, the state's largest environmental advocacy organization. "Now,
in an argument that is entirely inconsistent with the recommendations they
voted to support, Alliant claims that Wisconsin officials should not consider
global warming pollution when they decide whether to allow the construction
of another coal plant."
In a response to the draft environmental impact statement filed before
the PSC, Alliant argues "that the [final environmental impact statement]
should either eliminate the discussion throughout of [greenhouse gas] emissions,
or, alternatively, emphasize that they do not fall within PSC's or WDNR's
jurisdiction…"
"The idea that our state agencies charged with enforcing pollution laws
should ignore nearly 3 million tons of global warming pollution is preposterous,"
Nekola said. "Alliant is turning its back to the reality of global warming
and asking Wisconsin officials to do the same."
Alliant submitted its comments the same week a Georgia Supreme Court Judge
halted the construction of a coal-fired power plant because of its high
levels of global warming pollution. The Court found that "there is no question
that CO2 is 'subject to regulation under the [Clean Air] Act.'"
With this decision, Georgia joins a long list of states across the country
scrapping plans to build new coal plants including Minnesota, Kansas, Wyoming,
Montana and Texas.
"Wisconsin should join a growing list of states and reject Alliant's proposal
to build another coal plant," Nekola said. "We cannot continue to construct
coal plants if we are to meet the targets set by the Global Warming Task
Force and avoid the most disastrous effects of global warming."
The Public Service Commission will consider comments filed in response
to the draft environmental statement and release a final environmental
impact statement later this summer.
###
Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin's clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and polluters accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin's Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. Phone: 608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: information@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.