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Coalition Tells AEP To Clean Up Dirty Power Plants And Protect Public Health National study on mercury emissions released hours earlier. FORT WAYNE, Indiana, July 11, 2000. Representatives of the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana (CAC) and Washington, D.C. based Clear The Air showcased a giant mock power plant to demonstrate the destructive impacts of pollution from dirty, coal burning power plants. The groups called on American Electric Power
(AEP) to clean up it’s plants and focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Coincidentally, today’s press conference coincided with the national release of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) assessment on the human health effects of mercury. NAS found mercury exposure may cause neurological problems in 60,000 children born in the U.S. each year. More information on the NAS report may be viewed at www.nationalacademies.org. “Coal fired power plants are the single largest industrial contributors to air pollution. Power plants like those owned by AEP pollute our environment and endanger public health,” said Grant Smith, Utility and Environmental Policy Coordinator for CAC. The four smokestacks on the power plant are labeled with the words, “Asthma Attacks, Acid Rain, Mercury Poisoning, and Global Warming” to illustrate the effects of pollution from power plants. The groups pointed out that coal burning plants in Indiana contribute 351,000 tons of smog forming nitrogen oxide (NOx), 850,000 tons of acid rain causing sulfur dioxide (SO2), 5,229 pounds of poisonous mercury, and 117 million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). Indiana’s power plants are ranked fourth in the nation for NOx, third for SO2, fourth for CO2, and fifth for mercury emissions.
The groups also pointed out that AEP and the State of Indiana sued the US EPA over its 1998 proposal to dramatically reduce smog pollution from power plants. That proposal was recently upheld by a federal district court, although it could be appealed to the Supreme Court. Governor O’Bannon and AEP should stop litigating and start cleaning up smog pollution,” said Smith. “The health of millions of Hoosiers, including thousands of children and the elderly most susceptible to smog, is at stake.” Smith pointed out that a 1997 study estimated that 1,500 respiratory hospital admissions in Indiana were attributable to ozone pollution. “Another concern is the mercury contamination in lakes and streams that has become so widespread that more than 40 states, including Indiana, warn vulnerable populations to limit their intake of fresh water fish. Cleaning up these plants is essential to protecting public health,” Smith said. Hundreds of old, coal‑fired power plants were exempted from modern pollution controls in the Clean Air Act. These ‘grandfathered’ power plants account for the vast majority of smog and acid rain causing pollutants. These exempted plants produce ten times the amount of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide as one using newer, safer technology. None of the nation’s power plants are required to limit emissions of mercury or carbon dioxide. “Cleaning up AEP’s plants aren’t enough. Because this pollution crosses state lines we need a national solution,” said Smith. “That’s why we’re calling on Representative Souder and Senators Lugar and Bayh to support federal action. Only then will we be able to breathe easier.” The power plant will make more than 80 stops around the country this summer as part of a national tour organized by Clear the Air. The campaign is a joint project of the Clean Air Task Force, National Environmental Trust, and U.S. PIRG Education Fund. Clear the Air works with grassroots organizations throughout the country to safeguard public health and the environment by reducing power plant pollution. For information on how energy and utility issues affect consumers, public health and the environment, Smith encouraged the public to consult the groups’ websites: www.cleartheair.org Other stops in Indiana are being coordinated by the Hoosier Environmental Council. Go to Environmental Issues Index
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