Coal Plant Wins Final Air Permit

We continue to move closer and closer to finalizing our project. Yesterday was a good day for Southwest Arkansas. This article was in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette this morning on the front of the business section.

Coal plant wins permit; foes vow appeal BY BILL W. HORNADAY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
State environmental regulators issued the final air permit on Wednesday for a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant to be built in Hempstead County.
Southwestern Electric Power Co. is “extremely pleased” to complete a two-year process that involved two public hearings and hundreds of comments from residents, said Scott McCloud, company spokesman.
Yet any euphoria could be short-lived as opponents of the project 15 miles northeast of Texarkana plan to appeal the decision.
“I am confident there will be an appeal,” said Chuck Nestrud, a Little Rock attorney who represents private hunting clubs and owners of 18,000 acres near the site. “But right now we’re not sure which parties would participate.”
McCloud said: “Of course, there is always the possibility of another appeal and if that occurs, who knows what will happen? But today is a good day.”
Such a move must be filed with the Arkansas Pollution Control Ecology Commission within 30 days, said Doug Szenher, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. If that happens, it would place a stay on the permit, he said. That would block SWEPCO’s plans to immediately start full-scale construction on the John W. Turk Jr. power plant, which is expected to take four years to complete.
It would also join two other appeals filed against the 600-megawatt facility.
One is before the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis. It contests a federal judge’s July ruling that certain types of construction are allowed before a company must obtain an air permit.
The other is before the Arkansas Court of Appeals. It contends that the Arkansas Public Service Commission’s 2-1 approval of the plant in November 2007 was im- proper because it ruled on SWEPCO’s need to provide additional power and the need for the Turk plant itself in separate hearings.
Once construction begins, it would create up to 1,400 jobs at the height of the project and 110 permanent jobs once the plant is completed, SWEPCO said. It would also generate about $38 million in sales and property-tax revenue and an annual payroll of $9 million.
That represents hope for an area largely bypassed by booms in northwest, northeast and central Arkansas, said Jerry Sparks, director of economic development for the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s something all of us have been waiting for, and we’re pleased to hear it,” he said. “Since an appeal seems likely, we’re not quite jumping up and down just yet. But it’s a positive sign we’re making progress and if we can bring those jobs in, it’s a big shot in the arm at a time when a lot of people are seeing an economic slowdown.”
The plant site is located near one of Arkansas’ most ecologically sensitive areas, including 2,000-acre Grassy lake, home to alligators, migratory birds and some of Arkansas’ last cypress swamps and stands of virgin timber.
Environmental activists decried ADEQ’s decision, noting that the Governor’s Commission on Global Warming recently recommended a moratorium on any new coal-fired power plants in Arkansas until 2020.
“While state after state has rejected dirty coal and embraced clean energy sources, Arkansas has taken a step backward that puts our environmental and public health at risk,” said Glen Hooks, senior regional representative for the Sierra Club.
“This battle is not over. Expect that Sierra Club and our allies will use every tool in our arsenal and fight this plant until absolutely all avenues have been exhausted, up to and including legal challenges.”
ADEQ Director Teresa Marks said the permit resulted from a lengthy technical and legal review to ensure it is “protective of public health and the environment” by conforming to federal and state emissions standards.
The permit limits emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and certain particulates, ADEQ officials said. Yet they also conceded there are no limits for carbon dioxide emissions, which currently are not subject to federal or state limits.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, carbon dioxide is the most important manmade gas that contributes to global warming.
Marks pointed out that the Turk plant’s design includes 20 acres for carbon-capture equipment should future regulations impose emissions limits.
“It is quite possible CO2 emission standards will be adopted at the federal level and in Arkansas as well in a few years,” Marks said.
“The ADEQ and the operators of all permitted coal-fired electric plants in the state ... are aware of this possibility and are already considering options to address the issue of CO2 emissions as quickly as possible once standards are in place.”
Arkansas currently has six coal-fired power generators. Two are at Entergy Arkansas Inc.’s White Bluff plant near Redfield, with two more at Entergy’s Independence plant near Newark. One is at SWEPCO’s Flint Creek plant near Gentry and another is at Dynegy Inc.’s Plum Point plant near Osceola.
Anyone who offered comment on the ADEQ’s permit review has legal standing to file an appeal, Szenher said.

Here is a link to SWEPCO's announcement http://swepco.com/news/releases/viewrelease.asp?releaseID=612

Here is a link to ADEQ's announcement http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/air/branch_permits/SWEPCO.htm