• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

PA DEP: EPA Mercury Reduction Rule Penalizes PA Coal, Threatens PA Coal Mining Jobs

Posted on: Wednesday, 19 April 2006, 09:00 CDT

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell is working to promote clean coal in Pennsylvania, the electric power lobby and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are pushing a mercury reduction rule that may result in a very real and significant economic dislocation for the state's coal industry, Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty said.

"The federal rule sets the toughest standards for Pennsylvania coal and encourages utilities to meet mercury reduction obligations by switching to coal mined in the West," McGinty said. "The plan pushed by the utility industry and EPA is in direct conflict with Governor Rendell's efforts to build a clean energy future by putting to use Pennsylvania's indigenous resources, including coal.

"The Governor's initiatives strengthen Pennsylvania's coal industry, protect miners' jobs and help us to meet environmental goals. The plan put forward by EPA and pushed by the electric power lobby takes us in the opposite direction and deals a severe blow to our coal economy."

Pennsylvania has been a leader in advancing clean-coal technology. The commonwealth is home to one of the nation's most progressive alternative energy portfolio standards, ensuring that 18 percent of all energy generated by 2020 comes from clean, advanced resources -- not just traditional renewables, but also coal mine methane, waste coal and coal gasification.

The nation's first coal gasification-liquefaction plant is proposed for construction in northeastern Pennsylvania, where the plant will use waste coal to generate 41 megawatts of low-cost electricity, enough to power about 40,000 homes and produce 40 million gallons of clean-burning diesel fuel each year. Other state-of-the-art waste coal power plants are helping to power the state economy by putting to use an energy source that otherwise would be a threat to our environment and a hazard to our health.

With encouragement and support from Governor Rendell, coal mine methane is being captured and used for fuel rather than simply being vented into the air and wasted. Not only are projects like this a boon to the environment, but with record-high natural gas prices, this new fuel source benefits our economy as well.

Because of disparities in federal emission standards, owners of coal-fired units that burn bituminous coal mined in Pennsylvania could comply with the final mercury emissions standards simply by switching fuels or burning sub- bituminous coal mined in the West. EPA's rule essentially encourages "fuel switching" and establishes western sub-bituminous coal as a compliant coal -- a feature that actually is contrary to achieving maximum mercury reduction.

Bituminous coal generally contains more mercury than sub-bituminous coal. But it also contains more chlorine, and chlorine enhances the removal efficiency of mercury control technology. So, controlled bituminous coal is "cleaner" with respect to mercury than uncontrolled sub-bituminous coal.

EPA's plan also threatens the viability of Pennsylvania's new waste coal power plants, which produce some of the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable electricity in the country. Waste coal boilers, using advanced combustion technology, are among the lowest emitters of mercury on a pounds-per-megawatt scale for coal-fired electric generation. The federal rule imposes tougher standards on new waste coal facilities than any other type of coal-fired power plant in the nation.

The Pennsylvania Coal Association and United Mine Workers of America joined DEP in June 2004 to ask EPA to drop plans that would put Pennsylvania coal at a disadvantage. Although DEP, PCA and UMWA disagreed on key aspects of EPA's rule, the groups were in total agreement on the overriding fact that the federal agency's prejudicial treatment of Pennsylvania coal was harmful to the state's economy.

"EPA's proposed rule would put Pennsylvania at a competitive disadvantage and harm the state's economy by requiring more stringent emissions standards for cleaner-burning bituminous coal mined in Pennsylvania than for coal mined in the West," the joint letter said. "While the commonwealth, PCA and UMWA disagree on some key aspects of EPA's proposed rule, we agree on one overriding fact: the prejudicial treatment of Pennsylvania coal as represented in this proposed rule is seriously injurious to our state's environment and economy."

Pennsylvania's proposed state-specific rule preserves the market share for bituminous coal by presuming compliance for electric generating units that burn 100 percent bituminous coal with advanced air control technologies. Governor Rendell's proposed rule will make it tougher to switch fuels, protecting and growing the market for Pennsylvania coal.

Details about Pennsylvania's state-specific mercury reduction plan are available on DEP's Web site at http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/, Keywords: "Mercury Rule."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This release is the third in a series to address key issues regarding Pennsylvania's state-specific mercury reduction proposal. Visit the department's Web site at http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/ for all the releases and related articles.

CONTACT: Kurt M. Knaus, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, +1-717-787-1323.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

CONTACT: Kurt M. Knaus, Pennsylvania Department of EnvironmentalProtection, +1-717-787-1323

Web site: http://www.state.pa.us/http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/

Source: PRNewswire

More News in this Category