Ely, NV -- Several leading conservation and clean energy groups have filed an appeal with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Board of Land Appeals to stop a proposed coal-fired power plant from spewing millions of tons of CO2 and other air pollutants into Nevada skies.
The organizations -- including the Bristlecone Alliance,
Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water, Sierra Club, Center for
Biological Diversity, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Great
Basin Resource Watch, Post Carbon Salt Lake, Nevada Wildlife
Federation, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Western Resource
Advocates, and National Parks Conservation Association, represented by
attorneys from Earthjustice -- are urging the Board to reject the
Bureau of Land Management's approval of the White Pine Energy Station
near Ely, Nevada. The White Pine project would be one of the largest and most heavily
polluting coal plants in the western United States. Operation of the
facility would release an estimated 12.88 million tons of CO2, the
predominant greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, into the
air each year. The plant would also emit significant amounts of other
harmful pollutants, such as mercury, sulfur dioxide, and fine soot,
impairing local air quality and visibility in nearby Great Basin
National Park. "America's top scientists have made it clear that continuing to burn
coal will lead directly to climate catastrophe," said Center for
Biological Diversity attorney Amy Atwood. "We need to scrap proposals
for obsolete, dirty coal plants like White Pine and move toward a clean
energy future." In approving the project, which will be constructed and operated by
the LS Power Group, the Bureau of Land Management authorized the sale
of 1,281 acres of undeveloped public lands and additional rights-of-way
for the facility and associated electric transmission lines, a well
field and water pipelines, a railroad spur, access roads, and other
features. "Selling pristine public lands so private corporations can build
dirty coal plants is the exact opposite of what this country needs
right now. America should be leading the transition to sustainable
energy," said Earthjustice attorney George Torgun. In its analysis of the project, the Bureau of Land Management
disregarded the facility's health impacts on area residents, the
effects on local water supplies and imperiled species, and the
potentially massive contribution of greenhouse gases. It also failed to
consider clean-energy alternatives or conservation measures. The
proposal's numerous deficiencies were made clear to the Bureau in
public comments submitted by the conservation groups, members of
Congress, and other federal agencies such as the National Park Service
and Environmental Protection Agency. "Instead of allowing a huge new dirty coal plant, LS Power and BLM
should take the lead from other companies and public agencies that are
working to meet electricity demand through energy efficiency and
renewables," said John Barth, an attorney for the groups. "We plan to
vigorously contest the project to prevent a tremendous setback to these
efforts to rein in global warming pollution and to protect the health
of area residents." In fact, the approval of the White Pine Energy Station comes at the
time when momentum is building for the development of other energy
sources in Nevada, including geothermal, solar power, and wind. "The White Pine power plant seriously undermines regional efforts to
promote renewable energy projects," said Charles Benjamin, the Nevada
director of Western Resource Advocates. "There is simply no need for
new coal plants like White Pine to meet the energy demands in Nevada.
We call on LS Power and White Pine Energy Associates to join us in
creating a clean and renewable energy future that will provide jobs and
economic development throughout Nevada." "At a time when most of our policymakers have committed to reducing
climate pollution, this project is a huge step in the wrong direction,"
said Sierra Club's Lydia Ball. "Knowing what we now know about global
warming, we owe it to future generations to spend our resources and
fuel our region on energy conservation and renewable resources like
wind, geothermal, and solar power." The White Pine Energy Station is actually just one of three coal
plants that have been recently proposed on Bureau lands in eastern
Nevada. The other two facilities -- the 1,500 megawatt Ely Energy
Center and the 750 megawatt Toquop Energy Project -- are also seeking
approvals to begin construction. "Yesterday, four of the top five most polluted cities in the country
for air quality were in Utah," said Dr. Brian Moench, president of Utah
Physicians for a Healthy Environment. "The air pollution was the
equivalent of everyone smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day,
including children and pregnant women. Utah citizens are not going to
stand back and allow several new coal plants to make these pollution
problems even worse." "The massive, dirty coal plants proposed for eastern Nevada will
have a devastating impact on air quality and visibility in places like
Great Basin National Park in Nevada and Zion National Park in Utah,"
said National Parks Conservation Association program manager Lynn
Davis. "Enforcing our nation's environmental laws will help clear the
air for the millions of Americans who treasure these amazing places." With yesterday's presidential inauguration and the changing of the
guard at the Interior Department, the groups expressed hope that the
incoming administration will take a new approach to climate change
issues and public land management. Earthjustice attorney Paul Cort said, "We're hopeful that the new
administration in Washington will act quickly to secure a clean energy
future for the United States, and manage our public lands in ways that
benefit all Americans."
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