Beyond Coal

02/02/2012 From Michael Brune, Executive Director

Have you ever had to turn away millions of dollars? It sounds crazy, but here's why the Sierra Club chose to do exactly that.

In 2010, soon after I became the organization's executive director, I learned that beginning in 2007 the Sierra Club had received more than $26 million from individuals or subsidiaries of Chesapeake Energy, one of the country's largest natural gas companies. At the same time I learned about the donation, we at the Club were also hearing from scientists and from local Club chapters about the risks that natural gas drilling posed to our air, water, climate, and people in their communities. We cannot accept money from an industry we need to change. Very quickly, the board of directors, with my strong encouragement, cut off these donations and rewrote our gift acceptance policy. Let me tell you how it came about.

Members and supporters of the Sierra Club from throughout New Mexico are speaking out in favor of clean air and against the pollution coming from the San Juan coal-fired power plant. These comments were sent to the EPA and our New Mexico Senators in December to support the EPA ruling that this coal plant needs to reduce it's nitrogen oxide pollution by 80%.

The Sierra Club supports the existing carbon-cap law passed by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) in 2010.

On Dec. 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the first-ever federal protections against toxic mercury from power plants. Mercury is a dangerous brain poison that poses a particular threat to prenatal babies and young children. Exposure in the bloodstreams of pregnant and nursing women can result in birth defects like learning disabilities, lowered IQ, deafness, blindness and cerebral palsy.

EPA Issues First-Ever Protections against Toxic Mercury

Measure will protect New Mexico women and children from dangerous brain poison

Opposition grows to high pollution levels from PNM’s San Juan Generating Station

October 18, Santa Fe – In a push for healthier air across New Mexico and the Southwest, a coalition of environmental groups has filed a motion in federal court, approved today, to block an effort by New Mexico power company PNM to evade requirements of the Clean Air Act. In August the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered the installation of adequate pollution controls at the company’s San Juan Generating Station. PNM is appealing the EPA ruling, even though the company had years of warning that changes were needed to bring the coal-fired plant into legal compliance.

Originally published in the Santa Fe New Mexican on October 5 by Susan Montoya Bryan | The Associated Press

Coalition wants Four Corners to install state-of-the-art equipment to reduce emissions

ALBUQUERQUE — A coalition of environmental groups on Tuesday sued the owners of one of the nation's largest coal-fired power plants over allegations that the plant has failed to install the best available equipment to control pollution.

Published on August 12 in the ABQ Journal with the title "Don't Believe PNM Lie: EPA Will Save Lives"

Published on August 14 in the Santa Fe New Mexican with the title "Clean air is healthy for our economy"

By David Van Winkle and Adella Begaye

Labored breathing, coughing, burning lungs. If you’ve done outdoor activity on a hot day with bad air quality, you may know the feeling. For a child with asthma, those high-smog days can bring on suffocating attacks. For someone with respiratory or cardiovascular problems, they can be fatal.

That’s why the recent news is so welcome that one of our region’s biggest air polluters – the San Juan Generating Station – will have to dramatically reduce its emissions. On Friday, Aug. 5, the EPA announced that it will require the nearly 40-year-old coal-burning power plant near Farmington to cut its nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 80 percent.

Sierra Club Applauds EPA Action

August 5 - Farmington, NM – The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 6 office today announced its final decision to require the installation of industry-standard pollution controls on the San Juan Generating Station coal-fired power plant near Farmington, New Mexico. The pollution controls will substantially reduce hazardous air pollution from the aging coal-fired power plant, protecting both public health and tourism revenue at nearby National Parks. For years, pollution from the San Juan Generating Station has marred views at National Parks such as the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde, threatening local economies that depend on tourism revenue from park visitors.

August 8 - PNM claims that it will cost them $1000 million to implement EPA required pollution controls at the San Juan Generating Station in Farmington, that were announced on August 5.

PNM does not report that the EPA’s report of August 5 shows that it should cost $345 million. The EPA report of August 5 says, “Over 300 retrofit SCRs have been installed since the early 1990s in the United States. Accordingly, constructability issues are well understood.” The EPA report says that PNM’s cost estimates are 77% higher than the highest prior SCR project on record. (SCR is the pollution control technology required to meet the EPA requirements.)

When you consider the fact that PNM owns 46% of the plant, the cost that PNM should be highlighting to New Mexicans is $160 million (345 x 0.46), not $1000 million.

The entire EPA ruling is attached.