Salem Harbor Power Plant
Cleaning Up the 'Filthy Five'
 CLF and a coalition of health and environmental groups have worked for over a decade to reduce harmful emissions from power plants. Those efforts led to the establishment of what were the nation's most strict power plant emissions limitations, the "Filthy Five" regulations, in 2001. Named for the power plants they were intended to clean up, the Filthy Five regulations required a reduction in some of the most dangerous power plant pollutants including mercury, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide and were the first in the nation to regulate carbon dioxide.
Over the years, CLF and others have worked hard to require Salem Harbor Station to come into compliance with the Filthy Five regulations. Specifically, CLF navigated a series of complex proceedings before the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In those proceedings CLF represented not only our members but also HealthLink, a local health and environmental activist group, MASSPIRG, Clean Water Action and the Wenham Lake Watershed Association.
CLF continues to work to move Massachusetts beyond coal through our advocacy on multiple fronts. One of the persistent obstacles to the closure of Salem Harbor Station—the need for the plant to ensure electric system reliability—has gradually eroded through the construction of new transmission lines and the availability of ever more energy efficiency and conservation measures. CLF continues to work to increase the supply of energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy to displace coal plants such as Salem Harbor Station. CLF also closely monitors enforcement of existing permits and the issuance of new permits to ensure that the most protective environmental standards are met.
Although significant reductions in some pollutants have been realized at Salem Harbor Station, the increased urgency of addressing climate change along with the increased awareness of the toxic emissions from burning coal demand that Massachusetts move towards a cleaner energy future. CLF will continue to fight to ensure that Salem Harbor Station’s days are numbered.
Contacts:
Seth Kaplan
Vice President for Policy and Climate Advocacy
Sue Reid
Director, Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Change Initiative
Shanna Cleveland
Staff Attorney
Featured Advocacy Documents:
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