In a May 22 editorial, the Tribune called for an end to the “grandfathering” of older coal-burning electric plants with regard to certain emissions standards of the Clean Air Act passed by Congress in 1970.
First, it should be noted that these so-called grandfathered plants are, in fact, required to meet standards of the Clean Air Act, which have been strengthened significantly in the past decade.
Ironically, on Nov. 13, 1999, the same Tribune editorial page argued for maintaining grandfathering, stating, “This provision merely recognized that the costs of rebuilding old plants to meet new standards are prohibitive.”
The position taken in the November editorial recognized that coal is a critical component of a reliable and affordable energy supply, meeting about 55 percent of our nation’s current electricity needs. The challenge, then, is to operate coal plants in an environmentally responsible manner.
Midwest Generation, the owner of six coal-fired power plants in Illinois purchased from Commonwealth Edison last December, has brought a heritage of environmental responsibility and leadership to this state.
Immediately upon acquiring our plants here, we began voluntarily investing $200 million in enhanced pollution controls that will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides, a component of smog, by more than half.
We also are refurbishing equipment that reduces particulate emissions. Furthermore, we burn low-sulfur coal at our plants to hold down emissions of sulfur dioxides.
The May 22 editorial cited the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recent release of its 1998 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), which records volumes of substance emissions reported by manufacturing facilities, including utilities and independent power producers. Although Midwest Generation supports communities’ right to know about emissions from all types of industrial facilities and other sources, it should be noted that the TRI data offers no analysis of any potential health risk; it only reports the volume of emissions.
In fact, independent analyses have recommended that TRI be revamped to consider risks as well as volume.
Consistent with that thought, Midwest Generation is focusing its practices and investments where we can have the greatest impact on the emissions that are a major focus of the Clean Air Act–nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxides.
