Group Says Ark. Carbon Emissions Increasing

By DANIEL CONNOLLY

LITTLE ROCK – A research group says carbon dioxide emissions in Arkansas nearly tripled between 1960 and 2001, as coal-fired power plants went on line and state motorists began burning more oil.

The report released Tuesday by the Washington-based U.S. Public Interest Research Group calls for society to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Most scientists believe carbon dioxide helps trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to increased surface temperatures.

“To protect future generations from the effects of global warming, we need to stop this trend of increasing pollution,” Robin Engle, a research assistant with the group, said in a statement.

She called for the government to intervene to increase energy efficiency and promote the use of alternative forms of energy such as solar and wind power.

In 1960, the state produced 21.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide; in 2001, the figure was 62.3 million metric tons, the group said.

The group said that nationwide, emissions of carbon dioxide nearly doubled since 1960, from 2.9 billion metric tons to almost 5.7 billion metric tons in 2001.

In Arkansas, the increased use of coal-burning power plants accounted for most of the increase in emissions, the group said, citing data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

James Thompson, a spokesman for Entergy Arkansas, said the company has taken steps to reduce pollution at its two coal-fired power plants in Arkansas by several million tons.

He said the utility uses low-sulphur coal and also has adopted measures including recycling power plant waste ash, a byproduct of burning coal.

“We’re doing everything we can do,” he said.

But coal still has some advantages over other forms of energy, he said.

“We still have to generate electricity and coal is one of the cheapest forms of producing electricity,” he said.

Currently, regulations for coal-burning plants don’t limit carbon dioxide emissions, said Doug Szenher, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

“As far as I know, we do not have carbon dioxide limits on our facilities,” he said. “I’m not aware that the federal government does either at this point.”