Albany, NY—The Kintigh coal-fired power plant in Somerset is the dirtiest power plant in New York based on carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, according to a new analysis of government data released today by Environment New York.
“It's time for the oldest and dirtiest power plants to clean up their act,” said Caitlin Seeley, Federal Field Organizer for Environment New York. “Coal-fired giants have dominated our electricity for decades and have been allowed to pollute without license. In order to stop global warming and reap all the benefits of clean energy, we must require old coal-fired clunkers to meet modern standards for global warming pollution.”
Coal is the dirtiest of all fuels, but it supplies more of America's electricity than any other source. Coal plants currently do not have to meet any global warming pollution standard, meaning that they are an unchecked contributor to global warming. In fact, coal plants are the nation’s single largest source of global warming pollution.
The growing impacts of global warming will impose threats to our safety and immense financial cost on our society, while leading to rising sea levels on our coasts, more frequent and severe heat waves, and a decrease in snow levels in our mountains. To avoid the worst effects of global warming, the science shows that the United States must cut its global warming pollution by 35 percent by 2020.
The new report from Environment New York, “America's Biggest Polluters: Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Power Plants in 2007,” looks at carbon dioxide emissions from power plants across the country using 2007 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2007 is the most recent year for which final data is available. The report examines both age of and pollution from power plants to document the fact that we are reliant on an energy infrastructure that is both old and polluting. The key findings include the following:
- New York ranked 20th nationwide for the most carbon dioxide pollution from power plants in 2007.
- New York is home to the 3rd oldest operating power plant in the country. The Oswego Harbor Power Plant has been operating for almost 70 years, built within a decade of the television first becoming commercially available. Many of the plants in New York are decades-old. In fact, of the 100 oldest plants in the country, 11 are located in New York.
- The Kintigh power plant located in Somerset was the dirtiest power plant in New York in 2007 based on its carbon dioxide emissions. The Kintigh plant has been in operation since 1984, and produces the same amount of global warming pollution in a year as 927,983 of today’s cars.
Nationally, the report shows that America's power is dominated by old and polluting plants, and that the oldest and dirtiest plants often go hand-in-hand. Power plants built three decades ago or more produced 73 percent of the total global warming pollution from power plants in 2007. Older power plants on average are dirtier per unit of energy than newer ones.
“America's power is both decades-old and dangerously polluting. We’re reliant on technology that’s as old as the very first commercially available televisions. Televisions have gone from black-and-white clunkers to super high-definition flat screens, but they’re still powered by the same dirty electricity,” Seeley said.
“Clean energy holds the future of America—to make our nation energy independent, create millions of new jobs, and stop the worst effects of global warming. In order to realize this clean energy future, coal plants must stop polluting with impunity,” continued Seeley.
Mathias Vuille, Assistant Professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the University of Albany and a contributing author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said, “The impacts of climate change are too large to be ignored any further. We need to invest in cleaner and renewable energy in order to address the problems that we have created.”
The U.S. Senate is slated to consider legislation in the next few months to establish the first-ever federal limits on global warming pollution and standards and incentives for clean energy. In addition, EPA has proposed a rule to require coal plants and other large smokestack industries to use available technology to cut their global warming pollution when new facilities are constructed or existing facilities are significantly modified.
However, the coal industry is fighting the transition to clean energy. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a coal industry lobby group, spent at least $45 million dollars last year alone – more than $120,000 a day – on lobbyists and advertising on energy. Earlier this year, they hired lobbyists who forged phony constituent letters to Congress opposing action on clean energy.
“We urge Senators Gillibrand and Reed to ensure that the Senate passes an energy bill that requires old, clunker coal plants to meet modern standards for global warming pollution so we can finally move to clean energy, like wind and solar power. We also urge EPA to finalize its proposed rule to cut global warming pollution from dirty coal plants,” concluded Seeley.
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Environment New York is a state-based, citizen-funded environmental organization working for clean air, clean water, and open space.
