Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Stop the Pollution Exemption for Brunner Island Power Plant!

The Department of Environmental Protection has proposed a plan that will significantly reduce smog-causing pollution from most power plants in the state.  But it will not require any pollution reductions from the Brunner Island power plant!  We need to tell DEP and Governor Wolf that this is unacceptable.

Our next chance to do that will be at the Citizen's Advisory Council meeting on Tue, 4/21 at 10am at 400 Market Street in Harrisburg.  This committee has yet to provide a recommendation on the rule, and could still send DEP staff back to the drawing board.

Can you join us for the day in Harrisburg? Click HERE to volunteer to ride the van, drive the van, or meet us in Harrisburg.

As you know, the Susquehanna Valley suffers from dangerous levels of air pollution, earning an "F" from the American Lung Association, and failing to meet federal standards for smog.  The Brunner Island power plant is the largest polluter of smog-causing NOx in the region.  It is also the only large coal-fired power plant left in the state that has not installed state-of-the-art pollution controls for NOx.  This proposed rule would reward them for foot-dragging with an exemption from new stricter limits, rather than require them to install the controls their peers already have.  That means more smog for the Susquehanna Valley and southeastern PA.

On the bright side, DEP has responded to our concerns in the past.  The original version of the rule, published a year ago, did not require ANY coal-fired power plants to reduce their smog-causing pollution at all.  After public outcry and two revisions, most plants will have to reduce their pollution by up to 70%.  Let's make sure that Brunner Island is held to the same standard!

Please consider joining us for the day in Harrisburg. This could be our last best chance to affect the PA Smog Rule. If you are not comfortable with the online signup form, just reply to this email and let me know you are coming.

Jim Wylie



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