Environmental Groups Critical of Proposed Power Plant

By Tony Bartelme, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.

Jan. 23–Santee Cooper’s proposed $1 billion coal-fired power plant in the Pee Dee would violate pollution laws by releasing poisonous mercury in an area that already has a serious contamination problem, two environmental groups said in extensive comments submitted to state health officials Tuesday.

The plant also would lack the best technology available to reduce pollution, disproportionately affect minorities and contribute massive amounts of carbon dioxide at a time of growing concern about global warming, the Southern Environmental Law Center and Sierra Club said in their 136-page analysis of Santee Cooper’s plans.

The groups submitted their comments on the final day of a public comment period for the plant’s state permit. So far, more than 700 people and organizations have sent comments, said Adam Myrick, media relations specialist for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Santee Cooper wants to build two 600-megawatt generators near the banks of the Little Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee Energy Campus would be capable of powering 600,000 homes. Santee Cooper says if it doesn’t build the plant, it will run short of power by 2013, possibly triggering brownouts and blackouts on peak energy days.

Santee Cooper’s plan has drawn strong support from the state’s manufacturing base, with representatives from factories and smelters saying their plants might become less viable without inexpensive and dependable power.

The plant also has generated vigorous opposition from conservation and citizens’ groups, with doctors in Florence protesting recently outside DHEC’s offices.

The debate about the plant comes as utilities nationwide face challenges to new coal plants. Utilities have scrapped at least 16 projects in the past year, mainly because of concerns about global warming. Coal plants are among the largest contributors of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Tuesday’s comments from the Sierra Club and Southern Environmental Law Center are notable for their breadth, covering the plant’s impact on mountaintop mining in Appalachia to the calculations on DHEC’s spreadsheets. They submitted the comments with the support of six other organizations, including the Coastal Conservation League. Because representatives of these groups have said they will probably take the utility to court, the comments provide a window into the group’s possible legal strategy.

Among their arguments: The plant would violate the federal Clean Air Act and other antipollution laws because it would add mercury in South Carolina’s “Mercury Triangle,” an area near the Great, Little Pee Dee and Lynches rivers.

The groups cited The Post and Courier’s series, “The Mercury Connection,” which identified the area as the state’s worst mercury hot spot. “The result would not only be unlawful, it would needlessly expose South Carolina citizens to unsafe levels of this harmful neurotoxin,” the group said.

Also, the Pee Dee Energy Campus would lack the best available technology to reduce harmful pollutants, another violation of state and federal laws, the group said. Carbon dioxide and other pollutants could be reduced significantly if Santee Cooper built a coal-gasification plant — a relatively new technology that turns coal into natural gas to generate electricity.

Laura Varn, Santee Cooper vice president of corporate communications, said South Carolina is facing “an imminent crisis with energy availability,” and that the Pee Dee plant would be built with the best pollution-control equipment available. With that technology, the plant will meet or beat federal and state pollution standards.

She added that coal gasification has potential, but that such plants cost 50 percent more than traditional units. She cited 18 gasification projects that have been put on hold or canceled.

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