Residents Vow to Continue Fight Against Somerset Coal Gasification Plans

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Colin Durrant, CLF Director of Communications
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Boston, MA (June 13, 2008) – A group of twelve Somerset area citizens vowed to continue their legal battle against the planned Somerset coal gasification project after a state environmental judge dismissed their appeal of the state’s approval for the project. The judge also granted a request by the Somerset power plant’s owner, NRG, to delay its clean air commitments, allowing the plant to continue releasing the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants beyond a January 1, 2010 deadline.

“Coal is dirty and bad for our health and this community. We are going to continue to fight this and will not rest until Somerset Station is held accountable and cleans up — for real — or closes down.” said Pauline Rodrigues, a Somerset resident opposed to the project.

The citizens, represented by the Conservation Law Foundation, will now take their cause to State Superior Court. “Of course we’re disappointed in the dismissal, but it’s particularly egregious that the state would give a power plant more time to pollute because citizens wanted to exercise their right to question this coal gasification proposal,” said Shanna Vale, a Conservation Law Foundation staff attorney that is representing the citizens who filed the appeal. “Plasma coal gasification is an untested technology, and it won’t reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We are determined to ensure that NRG stands by the clean air commitments it made in 2002.”

Residents opposed to the coal gasification project proposed by the plant’s owner, NRG, have pointed to the fact that, if approved, the project would allow the plant to continue releasing toxic chemicals, asthma-causing pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. At an April Selectman’s meeting in Somerset NRG, the plant’s owner, refused to rule out the use of controversial construction and demolition debris that could release toxic chemicals and pollutants into the air. Massachusetts environmental groups say the case will set the standard for the future of coal power plants in Massachusetts.

“Why are we even considering more coal burning in Massachusetts when there is no feasible plan to control carbon dioxide emissions? If a coal state like Kansas can stop investing in coal, so can Massachusetts. Unless we change course, we will not be able to meet our global warming commitments,” responded Katy Krottinger, a community organizer for Clean Water Action.

“This citizens appeal is necessary not only to protect public health for the residents of Somerset, but also to protect the Commonwealth from the dangerous consequences of climate change,” said CLF attorney Shanna Vale.

>>To download legal documents or learn more visit: http://www.clf.org/programs/cases.asp?id=1067

BACKGROUND ON SOMERSET COAL GASIFICATION PROPOSAL:

The Somerset coal plant had been under a longstanding requirement to shut down or re-power with cleaner emissions by 2010 – a commitment that had been made in order to meet the “Filthy Five” regulations. However, in a final permit issued by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in January, the Commonwealth said it would allow the plant’s owner, NRG, to adopt experimental coal plasma gasification technology and a controversial biomass plan. In February, twelve South Coast residents, represented by CLF filed an appeal of DEP’s decision.

At a packed citizens hearing held in February, outraged residents who have formed a group called the Massachusetts Clean Air Coalition, detailed the following concerns:

• NRG plans to burn construction and demolition debris as part of a related biomass proposal. If allowed, that plan would release toxic chemicals such as arsenic and dioxin into the air.
• The project will still emit more particulate matter than a shutdown or re-powering. Particulate matter emissions contribute to an increased risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses among children.
• Environmental groups have said the plant’s goal gasification plan will allow it to emit an additional 28 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air compared to a complete shutdown in 2010, as previously promised.

Before the final permit decision in January, and despite the warnings of prominent climate scientist Dr. James Hansen, Energy and Environment Secretary Ian Bowles rejected a petition filed by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Clean Water Action, the Toxics Action Center and Environment Massachusetts requesting a full-scale environmental review to assess the impact of the Somerset proposal on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.

ABOUT COAL GASIFICATION: Coal plasma gasification – a process which breaks down coal into gas before turning it into energy – reduces other pollutants, such as mercury, but results in the continued release of carbon dioxide, the primary contributor to global warming. Carbon dioxide emissions can theoretically be reduced using carbon capture and storage, however because of geology and other considerations that technology that is not viable in New England.

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The Conservation Law Foundation works to solve the environmental problems that threaten the people, natural resources and communities of New England. CLF’s advocates use law, economics and science to design and implement strategies that conserve natural resources, protect public health, and promote vital communities in our region. Founded in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. It has offices in Boston, Massachusetts; Concord, New Hampshire; Providence, Rhode Island; Montpelier, Vermont; and Brunswick, Maine.