Pennsylvania Ranks 4th for Global Warming Pollution from Power Plants

For Immediate Release: September 10^th, 2013

Contact: Erika Staaf, (412) 491-4801, Estaaf@PennEnvironment.org

Pennsylvania Ranks 4th for Global Warming Pollution from Power Plants

[Johnstown, PA] –A new report from PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center finds that Pennsylvania ranks 4^th in the country for most carbon pollution from its power plants, the state’s largest single source of global warming pollution. Scientists predict that extreme weather events will become more frequent and severe for future generations, unless we cut the dangerous carbon pollution fueling the problem.

“America's dirtiest power plants are the elephant in the room when it comes to global warming," said Erika Staaf, Advocate for PennEnvironment. "If we want a cleaner, safer future for our kids, we can't afford to ignore power plants' overwhelming contribution to global warming. into our atmosphere would be to build more power plants like Blah Blah that would dump even more carbon into the air."ng carbon For Pennsylvania, tackling the problem means cleaning up the dirtiest power plants.”

The report, titled, ‘America’s Dirtiest Power Plants,’ comes as the Obama administration readies a new set of rules to tackle global warming. It illustrates the scale of carbon pollution from Pennsylvania power sector and ranks Pennsylvania biggest carbon polluters.

Key findings from the report include:

•         Pennsylvania’s power plants are the 4th most polluting in the country.
•         In Pennsylvania, the top five most polluting power plants are, in order, FirstEnergy’s Bruce Mansfield; Allegheny Energy Supply’s Hatfield Ferry Power Station; GenOn’s Keystone Station; GenOn’s Conemaugh Station; and Midwest Generation’s Homer City Station.
•         Pennsylvania’s power plants are its single largest source of carbon pollution - responsible for 47% percent of statewide emissions.
•         First Energy’s Bruce Mansfield’s plant is the 8th most carbon-polluting power plant in the nation.
•         Pennsylvania’s power plants produce as much carbon each year as nearly 25 million cars.

“We in this nation and throughout world have some big choices to make, and we have to make them soon, before it’s too late,” said Rev. William Thwing, Pastor of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. “It’s time we woke up and stopped this out of control freight train that is climate change.”

This summer, President Obama directed his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to propose limits on carbon pollution from new and existing power plants, the largest single source of carbon pollution. In a major step, the EPA is expected to propose an updated rule for cutting carbon pollution from new power plants on September 20. 243,000 Pennsylvanians have already submitted public comments in support of limiting carbon pollution from power plants.

"We cannot afford any further delays in limiting the carbon pollution that increases the risk of floods, powerful storms, and dangerous heat waves.  But we can lead the transition to clean energy and efficiency and create many family-supporting jobs in the process,” said Tom Schuster, Campaign Representative with the Sierra Club.

PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center called on state leaders like Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey to join them in supporting limits on power plants’ carbon pollution. PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center also advocated state-level strategies to avert the worst impacts of climate change, including increasing the share of renewable energy in our energy portfolio and making Pennsylvania a leader again in terms of our energy efficient building standards.

“Pennsylvania is the 4^th biggest emitter of carbon pollution from the biggest sources. Pennsylvania cannot wait to act on climate, so it’s critical that our elected leaders step up and support action,” said Staaf.

###

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center is a statewide, environmental organization dedicated to protecting our air water and open spaces. For more information, visit www.PennEnvironment.org/center  

Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Statement on President Obama’s Climate Plan

Contact:  Kim Teplitzky, 412-802-6161, kim.teplitzky@sierraclub.org

Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Statement on President Obama’s Climate Plan

Washington, D.C. – Today President Barack Obama announced his administration's next steps for building a legacy of action to fight the climate crisis. The plan includes new energy efficiency standards for federal buildings and appliances, scales up responsible clean energy production on public lands with an ambitious new commitment to power 6 million homes by 2020, and uses the full authority of the Clean Air Act to cut dangerous carbon pollution from power plants.

Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter Director Jeff Schmidt released the following statement in response:

"This is change Pennsylvanians have been waiting for on climate.  

“President Obama is finally putting action behind his words, which is what the Sierra Club, our 2.1 million members and supporters, and coalition partners have worked mightily to achieve. Today, we applaud him for taking a giant step forward toward meeting that goal.

"By committing to establish new energy efficiency standards for federal buildings and appliances, scale up responsible clean energy production on public lands with an ambitious new goal to power 6 million homes by 2020, and use the full authority of the Clean Air Act to cut dangerous carbon pollution from power plants, the President is stepping up to reduce climate-disrupting pollution that is destabilizing our climate while threatening our economy and endangering our communities and families with extreme weather and dramatic sea level increases.

“Here in Pennsylvania we know the benefits of increasing energy efficiency with our Energy Savings Act that has helped families and businesses save millions in electricity costs over the last two years. We have seen the good jobs created by the expansion of clean renewable energy sources.    We also know the threat of continuing our dependence on dangerous fossil fuels like coal and natural gas that have left a toxic legacy in our state that puts our air, water and land at risk. 

“We look forward to a day when the Administration sees fracked gas for what it is - a fossil fuel of the past and a threat to public health. Nevertheless, the President’s plan gives us hope that he will cement his climate legacy and protect future generations by ending destructive oil drilling in the Arctic, rejecting dangerous nukes, halting mountaintop removal, abandoning dirty fossil fuels in favor of clean energy - and by making the critically important decision to reject the dirty and dangerous Keystone XL pipeline.”

###

Protect Renewable Energy Policies from Attack

By Tom Schuster, Beyond Coal Campaign Representative

Alternative energy policies are meant to spur innovation and build a clean energy economy, but across the country and right here in Pennsylvania, dirty energy interests are trying to pollute the best clean energy job creator we have.
Cleaner Tier I sources are required to supply at least 8% of our electricity by 2021, which includes 0.5% of total electricity sales from solar.  This law has already helped spur development of enough wind and solar power to more than compensate for the recently retired coal plants in the state, and has helped create thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania's wind and solar industries.

Cleaner Tier I sources are required to supply at least 8% of our electricity by 2021, which includes 0.5% of total electricity sales from solar.  This law has already helped spur development of enough wind and solar power to more than compensate for the recently retired coal plants in the state, and has helped create thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania's wind and solar industries.

Cleaner Tier I sources are required to supply at least 8% of our electricity by 2021, which includes 0.5% of total electricity sales from solar.  This law has already helped spur development of enough wind and solar power to more than compensate for the recently retired coal plants in the state, and has helped create thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania's wind and solar industries.

In 2004, Pennsylvania passed the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS) - our state's most meaningful action to address climate disruption to date. This law requires electricity distributors and suppliers to deliver a minimum percentage of electricity from alternative sources by 2021.  The sources are divided into two tiers.  

Similar laws exist in 30 states, and many have more aggressive targets than Pennsylvania's.  And they are having an impact. So far in 2013, 82% of all new generating capacity, nearly 1900 MW, has been wind and solar. Nine US states now get at least 10% of their electricity from wind, and Iowa and South Dakota both get over 20%.

The recent success of renewable energy has finally caused the fossil fuel interests to see these energy sources as a threat to their polluting business model.  Renewable energy standards are now under attack in many states, as part of a coordinated campaign by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the climate change denying Heartland Institute, and the Koch brothers' Americans for Prosperity.  Here in Pennsylvania, the Beacon Hill Institute, an ALEC front-group, released a biased report in late 2012 attacking our AEPS, similar to reports in other states that are facing challenges to renewable energy standards. The report's methods and conclusions were thoroughly debunked by Synapse Economics, but the arguments persist.

In April, two bills were introduced in the Pennsylvania House that would weaken or effectively repeal the AEPS in this state. HB 1151 would make energy from garbage incineration eligible for Tier I credits under the AEPS. Tier I credits are reserved for cleaner energy sources, like wind, solar, geothermal, and low-impact hydro power.  This could allow incineration to absorb 30-50% of the credits that would otherwise spur more investment in cleaner sources.  This bill has been referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

The other bill would effectively repeal the AEPS entirely if it became law. HB 1073 would make electricity from natural gas an eligible Tier I fuel. Because we already get more electricity from natural gas that the AEPS requires by 2021, the requirement would be meaningless.  This bill has been referred to the House Consumer Affairs Committee.

Incinerators emit extremely toxic air pollutants, like dioxins and furan, and even more carbon and mercury pollution per unit of energy, than coal plants. These pollutants can lead to severe health problems such as cancer, birth defects, and respiratory problems. Composting and recycling can conserve 3-5 times more energy than can be recovered from incineration, so we should be promoting these solutions over burning of trash.  Natural gas, meanwhile, is an established fuel that does not need any government incentives.  It already commands the third-highest market share in the state, and is therefore not an "alternative."  It does not help us address our climate problem because fugitive methane emissions throughout the production and distribution chain make it comparable to coal in terms of total greenhouse gas emissions.  And of course there are the well documented threats to water quality posed by fracking.

Click here to find your Representative and tell him or her that we need to promote true clean energy sources, not garbage incineration or natural gas!