coal

The last remaining partners in the construction of the Big Stone II coal-fired power plant announced yesterday that they would not continue the project. They proposed a 500 to 600 megawatt expansion of an existing coal burning power plant located near Milbank, South Dakota. The expansion would have been built on the shores of Big Stone Lake, headwaters to the Minnesota River, near the Minnesota border.

“We are excited to see that the economic realities have finally been acknowledged,” said Darrell Gerber, Clean Water Action Program Coordinator. “Not only was this project bad for public health, the Minnesota River and the environment it would have been bad for the pocketbook of many rural communities.”

Partners in the $1.6 billion project were left scrambling to find investors after the project lead, Otter Tail Power, withdrew in September. This was preceded by the withdrawal of Great River Energy last year. The remaining partners, Montana-Dakota Utilities, Company Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, Heartland Consumers Power District and Missouri River Energy Services, announced yesterday the closure of the project.

The conversion of the Riverside coal-burning power plant, operated by Xcel Energy, from coal to natural gas will be commemorated tomorrow at a public ceremony on site in Northeast Minneapolis. Riverside is located on the Mississippi River between North and Northeast Minneapolis. The coal plant has been operating since 1911 and was the largest single source of air pollution in Minneapolis.

Changes made to the way the plant operates and the switch from dirty coal to more clean burning natural gas will cut dangerous air pollution substantially:

Sulfur dioxide (SO2)  is a precursor to fine particulates, which can cause people to develop asthma and aggravate existing lung and circulatory problems – cut 99%.
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) or smog will damage lung tissues, causing asthma attacks and other health problems – cut 96%
Particulates or soot, which are linked to lung and circulatory system problems – cut 86%
Mercury, a potent neurotoxin which can lead to developmental problems in kids and the reason every body of water in Minnesota is under a fish consumption advisory – cut 100%

This fall the Senate is expected take up a climate and energy bill that would establish a new agency within the Department of Energy to administer federal loan guarantees for private "clean" energy projects. The bill, the American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 (S.1462), was passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in June.

The proposed new agency, the Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA), would offer a range of financing options, including direct loans, letters of credit, loan guarantees and insurance for energy production, transmission and storage projects that emphasize so-called "breakthrough" technologies to reduce Global Warming emissions and energy consumption. Renewable energy, advanced nuclear, and coal carbon capture and storage projects all would qualify for assistance.

Ottertail Power-- proposer and developer of the multi-utility coal power proposal Big Stone II-- today announced its withdrawl from the project. This news means the coal plant expansion project is likely dead.

Big Stone is an existing 300 megawatt coal burning power plant at Milbank, SD on the Minnesota-South Dakota border. It neighbors Big Stone Lake, a recreational lake that the Minnesota DNR spent millions rehabbing to improve fishing, boating and wildlife habitat. Ottertail and partner utilities from Minnesota  and the Dakotas proposed building a new coal-burning power plant on the existing site, which would have doubled power generating capacity to 500-600 MW.

Local residents and pro-environment advocates spent years opposing the project, which they said would increase air pollution, mercury contamination in Big Stone Lake and would use billions of gallons of water from limited local resources. Big Stone opponents urged the utilities to build renewable power generation like wind or solar instead of investing in coal.

From a Twin Cities activist in Pettry Bottom, W. Va.—Think twice the next time you turn on your computer. The source of most of our energy in the Twin Cities is under attack.

Two people have occupied treetops in the small West Virginian communities of Pettry Bottom and Peach Tree within the blasting zone of a Massey Energy mountaintop removal coal-mining site.

At 6:30 am the two activists, associated with environmental groups Climate Ground Zero and Mountain Justice, unrolled banners reading “Stop Mountain Top Removal” and “DEP – Don’t Expect Protection” from their treetop platforms. The two are perched 80 feet above the ground, within 30 feet of the mine, and within 300 feet of blasting. Regulations prohibit use of any explosives when people are within the blasting zone.

Soon to be announced….A Climate Justice Convergence in Pittsburgh, PA on September 20-25, 2009.

Downtown Pittsburgh will be the site for the International Coal Conference, on September 21-23 as well as the G-20 Summit on September 24-25.

September thus presents a great opportunity to amplify the voices and visions of communities directly impacted by the global environmental and economic crises.

A July 22 decision by the District Court of North Dakota for the Southwest Judicial District reversed two rezoning decisions of the Stark County Commission.  The Stark County Commission had amended its zoning ordinance to change the uses of two areas of the County from agricultural uses to industrial uses.

Elk River Municipal Utilities yesterday rejected a proposal to become a partial owner in Big Stone II. Elk River’s rejection was the same day as a decision by Basin Electric Power in South Dakota to pull plans for a new coal-fired power plant.

Elk River's disavowal of coal is part of a trend. A string of 100 coal plants--with Intermountain Power coal plant in Utah as the landmark number 100-- have been defeated or abandoned since the beginning of the coal rush in 2001.  Activists calling for a transition away from coal call this a significant milestone in the shift to clean energy.

For the past six years pro-environment allies have been running a hard-hitting campaign to expose the dirty truth about coal. Tremendous grassroots pressure, rising costs, and upcoming federal carbon regulations all contributed to the demise of the 100 plants. In Minnesota hundreds of volunteers turned out to public hearings, held rallies and met with officials to push for cleaner alternatives to the Big Stone II plant.

At a June 29, special meeting of the Elk River Municipal Utility (ERMU) and the City Council to discuss alternatives for their energy supply in 2018, the Council moved to table discussion of investment the Big Stone II coal project until  July 13. 

One of the options presented was investing in 30 megawatts of the Big Stone II coal plant expansion for $90 million.  

The Utilites board will meet July 8 to discuss the proposal and have requested more detailed information from the proposers.

When asked about the liklihood of ERMU's approval Troy Adams, Director of Operations for ERMU, said "To tell you the truth, I don't know. We're waiting for more information about the finances and the risk of the project."