By Joanne Kilgour, Director, Sierra Club PA Chapter
This op-ed originally appeared in the York Dispatch.
Smog pollution is a serious health issue in Pennsylvania. More than eight million Pennsylvanians live in areas with unsafe air due to dangerous levels of smog pollution. That means nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvanians are at risk of inhaling a pollutant that is often compared to getting a sunburn on your lungs. Smog puts people at increased risk of developing asthma and heart disease, and triggers asthma attacks and heart attacks that can be fatal. When smog levels rise, air-quality alert days mean that children, seniors, and other vulnerable groups must stay inside or face serious risks to their health.
On Wednesday the American Lung Association released its
annual State of the Air Report, which found that York County residents continue
to suffer from bad air quality. The county
scored an “F” grade for smog (or ozone) pollution, and the
York/Harrisburg/Lebanon metro area ranked 64th worst in the country
out of 277 metro areas surveyed for smog pollution. This is particularly bad news for the more
than 44,000 county residents who have asthma (including over 10,000 children),
the 22,000 people with COPD (a chronic lung disease) and the 30,000 people with
heart disease.
Unfortunately for these vulnerable people, the Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) under Governor Corbett is not helping. In April, the DEP unveiled a plan supposedly aimed
at controlling smog pollution that does nothing to limit smog-causing nitrogen
oxides (NOx) pollution from coal-fired power plants, in spite of the fact that
coal plants are the largest source of NOx pollution in the state. While the eight largest plants are capable of
cutting their average NOx emissions by about 40% using already installed
technology, the limits set in the plan would actually allow these plants to increase their smog-causing pollution without
any penalty.
These limits proposed by the DEP are three to four times
higher than limits being considered in neighboring Maryland and New York for
their coal power plants. That means Pennsylvania families could continue to
suffer, even as other states take steps to clean up their air.
York County is home to the Brunner Island power plant, which
is the 6th largest coal power plant in the state. It is also the only remaining large coal
power plant that has not installed a common control for smog-causing pollution
known as Selective Catalytic Reduction or SCR.
This technology is like a much bigger version of the catalytic converter
on your car, and can reduce smog-forming pollution by 80-90 percent. Without SCR, Brunner Island is contributing
unnecessarily to the air quality woes not only of York County, but of Lancaster
and Philadelphia, which have their own serious smog problems.
To add to the problem, the DEP proposal would allow the
operator of Brunner Island, PP&L, to average emissions over its fleet of
coal plants to comply with the already weak standard. That means that even if the overall pollution
limits were lowered, PP&L could comply by slashing emissions from its
Montour plant, nearly two hours north of York, while smog-causing emissions
continue from Brunner Island virtually unchecked. That is simply unfair to people who have to
breathe in York County, Lancaster County, and other areas directly downwind.
It is time for Governor Corbett’s DEP to live up to its name
and protect the health of all Pennsylvanians. The DEP can start by improving
their draft smog plan to include meaningful limits on smog-causing pollution
from coal-fired power plants consistent with the use of modern, pollution-cutting
SCR technology on every plant. Our
families deserve healthy air, so it’s time for Governor Corbett to cut
pollution from coal plants and ensure we can all breathe easier.
You can learn more about Governor Corbett’s proposed smog
plan, find out about attending upcoming public hearings and submit a comment
through June 30th at sc.org/pacutsmog
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