MountainStrong Hurricane Recovery Fund

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue is dedicated to addressing the urgent needs of our community.

Donate
MountainTrue
Donate
eNews Signup
 - 
Arabic
 - 
ar
Bengali
 - 
bn
German
 - 
de
English
 - 
en
French
 - 
fr
Hindi
 - 
hi
Indonesian
 - 
id
Portuguese
 - 
pt
Russian
 - 
ru
Spanish
 - 
es
MountainTrue
Donate
eNews Signup

BREAKING: Asheville coal plant retirement signals end to coal ash pollution

BREAKING: Asheville coal plant retirement signals end to coal ash pollution

AVLBeyondCoalFloat

 

Continued Reliance on Fossil Fuels Troubling to the Region

Asheville, NC – In an announcement today, Duke Energy revealed a proposal to retire the Asheville Plant, a 414 MW nameplate capacity (376 MW operating capacity) coal-fired power plant located near Asheville, North Carolina. The announcement includes plans to replace coal-fired power at the plant with new, larger gas fired generation options. Additionally, Duke has committed to building a solar farm on the site of coal ash ponds near the plant. Today’s announcement marks the 190th coal plant announced for retirement since the beginning of the Beyond Coal campaign.

In Response to Today’s Announcement MountainTrue, Sierra Club, Southern Environmental Law Center and Waterkeeper Alliance issued the following joint statement:

“For the last three years the Asheville Beyond Coal Campaign and thousands of individuals have called on Duke Energy to transition our region off of coal. This has been a struggle to protect our health, our families and our communities. It has required tireless effort to pursue a brighter vision for Asheville. We can declare victory in securing closure of the plant, for it means an end is in sight for the air, water, and carbon pollution from this plant, but Duke’s announcement to build new gas is inconsistent with the clean energy vision we have called for.

“While we applaud Duke’s decision to retire the Asheville plant, Duke failed to hear what people wanted in its place. Folks want a bright future that supports clean energy, not a giant gas plant polluting Asheville for another 30 years. North Carolina has the opportunity to be a leader in clean energy generation through aggressive investments in solar power and energy efficiency, and Duke Energy must be a partner in that effort – but moves like this deeply undermine the ability to bring online clean, reliable 21st century energy options that will create good jobs right here at home.

 “North Carolinians deserve clean water and home grown electricity options that invest in local communities and create jobs here in our community. North Carolina has some of the best potential in the nation to harvest the sun for our power needs but Duke Energy must be a partner in that investment if the state is ever to see the real benefits of clean energy.  While the proposed solar farm is a step in the right direction, it falls far short of the investment needed to move the region to a clean energy future.

“Additionally, this announcement does nothing to address evidence of unsafe air pollution from the Asheville Plant; under Duke’s proposal, the plant could continue to emit sulfur dioxide at levels that threaten public health until the coal-burning units are retired.

“The retirement of the Asheville Plant is a step in the right direction, but it is a half measure, undermined by continuing reliance on an economically unpredictable and polluting source of power. Duke can do better, and our community deserves better.  We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to fight for clean energy solutions for Western North Carolina.”

New Report and Analysis Demonstrate Dangerous Air Pollution Levels Up To 3.5 Times Safe Limits

New Report and Analysis Demonstrate Dangerous Air Pollution Levels Up To 3.5 Times Safe Limits

** Both reports available as .pdf by request and online at http://content.sierraclub.org/coal/north-carolina/asheville/new-report-toxic-pollution **
Contacts:
Adam Beitman, Sierra Club, (202) 675-2385, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org
Melissa Williams, MountainTrue, (828) 258-8737 x 216,melissa@mountaintrue.org

Toxic Sulfur Pollution Exceeding Safe Levels in Asheville

New Report and Analysis Demonstrate Dangerous Air Pollution Levels Up To 3.5 Times Safe Limits

ASHEVILLE, NC – A new report demonstrates that Duke Energy’s Asheville coal plant has been emitting harmful sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution at levels considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency for the past several years. Areas impacted include parts of South Asheville, Fairview, and Leicester, as well as trails in the Bent Creek Forest.

An air modeling study by Air Resource Specialists[1] shows that concentrations of SO2 in the air near people’s homes downwind of the Asheville coal plant are up to 3.5 times higher than what EPA has determined to be safe. According to the study, the plant’s pollution has exceeded these minimum public health standards approximately one out of every three to four days since 2010.

A separate analysis[2] of operations at the plant points to the two causes of this increased pollution: Duke apparently has not been running its pollution protection technology fully and, at the same time, has switched to cheaper, dirtier, higher-sulfur coal. The most likely reason for these changes is to reduce the cost of running this plant, which is one of the utility’s most expensive to operate.

Air pollution controls, “scrubbers”, were installed at the plant in 2005 and 2006. The analysis released today suggests that when first installed, those safeguards were run at acceptable levels, but have been turned down in recent years.

“These new findings reveal dangers to families who live in and visit the impacted area and who breathe the air that is being polluted by Duke Energy’s coal plant,” said Kelly Martin, North Carolina Representative of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign.

“Fortunately, there is an easy way for Duke to eliminate this health threat and restore clean air to Asheville: they can run the plant’s pollution control technology as it was designed to be operated and can return to using coal with lower sulfur content,” said Julie Mayfield, Co-Director of MountainTrue(formerly, the Western North Carolina Alliance). “We urge Duke Energy to take the steps necessary to stop their pollution and protect our families.”

Nearly 20,000 children and adults suffer from asthma in Buncombe County[3]. “It is beyond my moral imagination that Duke Energy would permit this public health hazard to endanger our community,” said Richard Fireman, M.D., retired Emergency Medicine Physician. “We know that air pollution from sulfur dioxide triggers asthma attacks and airway constriction. It exacerbates other respiratory problems including bronchitis and emphysema, requiring emergency medical treatment and hospital admissions. Sulfur dioxide can also form other toxic sulfur compounds that can aggravate existing heart disease, causing hospital admissions and unexpected, premature death.”

“While we’ve just learned about the extent and intensity of sulfur dioxide pollution in Asheville’s air, Duke’s coal plant has been a known source of pollution affecting our water and our climate for decades. It’s time for Duke to take responsibility for this pollution and protect the health of our communities, not just some of the time, but all the time,” Martin said.

Previously, watchdog groups have discovered dangerous pollution from the plant’s coal ash pits, including mercury, leaking into the French Broad River in violation of the Clean Water Act. The plant is also the largest source of carbon pollution in Western North Carolina, making it the leading contributor to climate disruption in the region.

 

[1] D. Howard Gebhart, Air Resource Specialists, Inc., Air Quality Dispersion Modeling 1-Hour Average Standard for Sulfur Dioxide: Duke Energy — Asheville Plant (Feb. 13, 2015)

[2] Ranajit Sahu, Analysis of Scrubber Operation: Duke Energy — Asheville Plant (Feb. 16, 2015)

[3] stateoftheair.org/2014/states/north-carolina/ – American Lung Association

—

March 4: Update on efforts to phase out Asheville’s coal-fired power plant

N.C. Beyond Coal organizer Emma Greenbaum shows some of the thousands of petition signatures from community members asking Duke Energy to retire its coal-fired plant in Asheville. (2013)

N.C. Beyond Coal organizer Emma Greenbaum shows some of the thousands of petition signatures from community members asking Duke Energy to retire its coal-fired plant in Asheville. (2013)

Sierra Club, MountainTrue and Green Drinks will present “Asheville Beyond Coal: Update on Efforts to Phase Out Asheville’s Coal Powered Electric Plant” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 1 Edwin Place (corner of Charlotte Street and Edwin Place) in Asheville.

Emma Greenbaum, organizing representative, with N.C. Beyond Coal at Sierra Club, will give an update on the campaign to retire the Asheville coal-fired power plant, the largest single source of carbon emissions in Western North Carolina and the largest source of toxic air pollution from the industrial sector.

Greenbaum will discuss recent events and successes, as well as ways to get involved in the movement against climate disruption.

Join us to learn how you can be a critical part in the movement for a clean energy future for Asheville. Learn more at www.ashevillebeyondcoal.org.

For more information about this meeting, email judymattox@sbcglobal.net or call (828) 683-2176.

EPA coal ash rule a modest first step; doesn’t go far enough to protect N.C. communities

asheville-coal-plantThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the first-ever federal standards for the storage and disposal of coal ash aimed at protecting thousands of communities from the 140 million tons of ash pollution produced annually by America’s coal plants.

Coal ash, the toxic by-product that is left over after coal is burned, contains toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, selenium and other health threatening substances. The public health hazards and environmental threats to nearby communities from unsafe coal ash storage have been documented for decades, including increased risk of cancer, learning disabilities, neurological disorders, birth defects, asthma, and other illnesses.

For years, environmental and public health organizations have called on the EPA and the Obama Administration to impose common-sense protections for retired and active coal ash sites that treat the disposal of this toxic waste stream with the same level of scrutiny as other dangerous substances.

In 2012, Western North Carolina Alliance joined several environmental organizations and an Indian tribe to obtain a court-ordered deadline for the coal ash rule.

“After coal ash disasters in Tennessee and North Carolina,” said WNCA’s French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson, “we welcome a coal ash rule that will start to take steps towards protecting the environment and our communities from toxic coal ash.”

However, WNCA and our Riverkeeper are disappointed that the standard allows utilities to continue disposing of coal ash in ponds and does not incorporate strong federal enforcement. The standard still leaves people to largely fend for themselves against powerful utility interests that have historically ignored public health in favor of delayed action.

Moving forward, WNCA and our coalition partners will use every tool available to strengthen this EPA safeguard, pressure state governments to do more to help communities suffering from ash pollution, and work with local residents to stand up to the utilities responsible for poisoning their water and air with this toxic industrial waste.

 

Read Duke’s groundwater assessment plans for coal-fired plants in N.C.

Read Duke’s groundwater assessment plans for coal-fired plants in N.C.

banner_02From the N.C . Department of Environment and Natural Resources

On Sept. 26, 2014, Duke Energy submitted draft plans for the assessment of groundwater at its 14 coal-fired power stations located in North Carolina.
The plans include proposed site assessment activities and a schedule for implementation, completion and submission of a comprehensive site assessment report for each of the facilities. The reports are required to provide information concerning:

  • the source and cause of contamination; any imminent hazards to public health and safety and actions taken to mitigate them;
  • the location of drinking water wells and other significant receptors where people could be exposed to groundwater contamination;
  • the horizontal and vertical extent of soil and groundwater contamination and significant factors that affect how the pollution moves;
  • and geological and hydrogeological features that affect the movement, chemical and physical character of the contaminants.

The staff with the N.C. Division of Water Resources will review the plans and approve them or provide Duke Energy with a deadline to correct any deficiencies. 
For each approved plan, the utility will have 180 days to provide the state with a report describing all exceedances of groundwater quality standards associated with each coal ash storage pond including the information described above.

Draft Plans – include the groundwater assessment plan and any accompanying map figures

Allen Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Asheville Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)

Belews Creek Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Buck Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Cape Fear Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)

Cliffside Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Dan River Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Lee Steam Electric Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 5); Map (Fig. 6)

Marshall Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Mayo Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)

Riverbend Steam Station – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 3)

Roxboro Steam Electric Power Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)

Sutton Steam Electric Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)

Weatherspoon Steam Electric Plant – Assessment Plan; Map (Fig. 4)