Threat to Wasatch Front air quality - urgent!

A new powerplant with preliminary approval threatens to harm the health and air quality of citizens of the Wasatch front. From the Utah Moms for Clean Air:

Consolidated Energy Co. has received preliminary approval to construct a power plant that burns petroleum coke and residual fuel oil next to the Holly Oil refinery in Woods Cross. This hazardous waste would be imported into Utah and burned making this "power plant" virtually equivalent to a new hazardous waste incinerator.

Petroleum coke is the dirtiest fossil fuel available, much dirtier than coal. It is the waste left over from refining oil. Compared to coal, combustion of petroleum coke emits higher concentrations of all the major components of air pollution. Every year this plant will release about one million pounds of pollution, including highly toxic chemicals and heavy metals that are especially dangerous to young children and the unborn. These toxic compounds are known to cause cancer, genetic damage and brain damage even in unimaginably small quantities.

There is a Division of Air Quality public hearing TONIGHT, Tuesday, January 13th at 6:30pm, where the public can voice their concern over this power plant. The meeting is at the DEQ Auditorium (Room 101), 168 N. 1950 W. in SLC.

If you can't make it to that, here are other ways to speak out about this power plant:

1. Submit your comments to the Division of Air Quality by Jan. 15, 2009.
Email: jjenks@utah.gov.

2. Write or call Gov. Huntsman and your state legislators stating your opposition to the petcoke plant.

Send correspondence to the Governor at
Governor John Huntsman, Jr.
Utah State Capitol Complex
350 North State Street, Suite 200
P. O. Box 142220
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-2220

801-538-1000
800-705-2464

3. Send an email or letter to the Mayor of West Bountiful: jbehunin@gmail.com
West Bountiful City Hall - 550 North 800 West, West Bountiful, Utah 84087
Even if you don’t live in West Bountiful, pollutants from this proposed plant will affect you if you live along the Wasatch Front.

4. Write a letter to the editor to one or more local newspaper(s): Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, Davis County Clipper

To help you write your letters, please refer to the talking points, background information, and a sample letter available here.

--------

This is nasty stuff, folks. Please take a minute to write to the DAQ before Thursday, letting them know your concern and opposition to this power plant. Then pass this info (or even just the Utah Moms for Clean Air website) on to friends and family members who might be affected.

Air pollution

According to the American Lung Association, Logan is ranked #6 on their list of worst air pollution cities in the U.S. for 2007. Okay, so this is just for short-term particle pollution, meaning our air doesn't suck year-round. But in the winter when we have inversions, it's bad enough and often enough to earn us a ranking among cities like L.A., Sacramento and Washington D.C. That's bad. Really bad. Here's the list of the top 10 worst cities for short-term particle pollution:

#1 Pittsburgh, PA
#2 Los Angeles, CA
#3 Fresno, CA
#4 Bakersfield, CA
#5 Birmingham, AL
#6 Logan, UT
#7 Salt Lake City, UT
#8 Sacramento, CA
#9 Detroit, MI
#10 D.C./Baltimore, MD
(Provo, UT is ranked #12)

Here's a little bit of info on particle pollution from the ALA's website:

• Particle pollution is the most dangerous of the widespread outdoor air pollutants. It is typically made up of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols. Particle levels can spike dangerously for hours to weeks on end (short-term) or reach high levels for most of the year (year-round).
• Breathing particle pollution can kill. Breathing particle pollution year-round can shorten life by one to three years. It triggers heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeats, and causes lung cancer and premature births. Particle pollution harms people in many ways, even when the particle levels are very low. Particle pollution worsens serious respiratory disorders, including asthma and causes wheezing and coughing.
• In the eastern U.S., many particles come from power plants that burn coal to produce electricity. In the western U.S., particles come from diesel buses, trucks and heavy equipment, agriculture and wood burning.
• The body’s natural defenses help to cough or sneeze larger particles out of our bodies. But smaller particles can be so tiny that they can become lodged deep in the lungs and cause major damage, or pass from the lungs into the blood stream and then throughout the rest of the body.

That's scary stuff!

The ALA also assigned a grade to the counties of Utah for our short-term particle pollution. Care to guess what Cache County got? Yep, we failed. Though if it makes us feel any better, most of the other counties in Utah that were evaluated failed as well.

Now for the resources: Check here for the air quality forecast. Want to help make a difference in our air? Utah Moms for Clean Air are an active group trying to make political and community changes to improve our air quality. Or check out the Choose Clean Air website from the UT DEQ for ideas on minimizing your contribution to the air quality problem.