Environmentalists Call For Full-Scale Review Of Somerset Power Plant Extension Groups say project threatens MA’s leadership on global warming

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Colin Durrant, Director of Communications
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Boston, MA (December 18, 2007) Environmentalists are crying foul over the state’s draft approval of a plan to extend the life of a Somerset, MA power plant by adopting experimental coal gasification technology.

In a petition filed with state environmental officials, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) is requesting a full-scale environmental review to assess the proposal’s greenhouse gas emissions and impact on global warming. In recent days, Clean Water Action, the Toxics Action Center and Environment Massachusetts have sent letters in support of the petition. Gasification is expected to increase greenhouse gas emissions at the plant by 81,000 tons a year.

“Converting one of our region’s oldest coal-fired power plants to speculative gasification technology would be a big step backward in our state’s efforts to reduce global warming pollution,” said Shanna Vale, a CLF staff attorney who authored the petition. “Instead of adopting projects that will increase greenhouse gas emissions, we need to be investing in innovative solutions that reduce our dependence on dirty fossil fuels and create a clean energy future.”

Under the state’s “Filthy Five” regulation meant to cut down on the region’s global warming pollution, the coal-fired Somerset Station, located in Somerset , MA , is scheduled to shut down or be re-powered with cleaner emissions by 2010. Instead of fulfilling that promise, Somerset Power LLC, owned by NRG Energy, the tenth largest American power company, has proposed to retrofit its fifty year old boiler to a plasma gasification process which breaks down coal into its component parts before converting it into energy. Allowing the plant to implement this proposal will result in a net emissions increase of 28,258,770 tons of carbon dioxide over the lifespan of the plant as compared to a 2010 shutdown.

“This community has suffered from a disproportionately large amount of exposure to pollutants and toxins due to this coal-fired power plant,” said Katy Krottinger, clean energy coordinator for Clean Water Action. “Coal gasification technology is untested and unproven, and while it may reduce the amount of some pollutants, it will increase greenhouse gas emissions. This community should not have to choose between pollutants especially when NRG promised to shut down or re-power with natural gas.”

The company claims it will mitigate carbon dioxide emissions by burning biomass or in the future by capturing and storing the carbon. However, carbon capture and storage is not viable in New England and biomass – especially if it includes construction and demolition debris as contemplated by NRG – risks the release of toxic chemicals into the air.

“Gasification, pyrolysis, plasma arc…it sounds futuristic, but it’s really the same old thing: dependency on limited natural resources that add to pollution and global warming,” said Amelia Rose, a community organizer at the Toxics Action Center . “We want a silver bullet, but true solutions to our energy crisis lie in the harder stuff: conservation, strong energy efficiency standards, and investing in genuine renewable technologies.”

The environmental groups are asking the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs for a “Fail-Safe” review which will trigger a full environmental review under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) that includes an assessment of the project’s total greenhouse gas emissions and an evaluation of alternatives that would avoid or mitigate the carbon dioxide emissions.

“The proposed Somerset facility perpetuates old, dirty power generation,” said Ben Wright , global warming advocate at Environment Massachusetts. “If NRG really wanted to be an environmental leader, they would be investing in the growing market for clean, renewable energy. Global warming and toxic air prove that burning coal for energy was a grave mistake and one we don’ t have to make again.”

Click here to download CLF’s Somerset Fail-Safe Petition.

The Conservation Law Foundation ( www.clf.org) works to solve the most significant environmental challenges facing New England . CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to create innovate strategies to conserve natural resources, protect public health and promote vital communities in our region. Founded, in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont.