Power
Plant Update
Jan. 13, 2004
by
Melissa Blakley
-
Concerned
Citizens of Platte County, Inc. joins opposition
-
Media
coverage engages the public.
-
Platte
County to issue up $1.35 billion in bonds for plant construction
-
Public
meetings scheduled in Camden Point and Leavenworth.
Substantial
progress has been made on educating the Kansas City area about
Great Plains Energy's plans to build two new 850MW coal-burning
power plants near Weston, Missouri. One is to be built next to
the current Iatan, Missouri plant (construction scheduled for
2004) and the other is planned in Atchison County, Kansas (construction
scheduled for 2005). The three plants in total will produce more
than 4 times the amount of power/pollution that of the existing
Iatan plant.
The
first step was to alert the media to Great Plains Energy's quiet
and persistent pursuit of permits for the new power plants while
claiming they had no definite plans to build. Media coverage kicked
off in late October when Sierra Club contacted news outlets after
attending a closed meeting at the Iatan plant concerning GPE's
Water Pollution Control Permit application. That meeting spawned
a flurry of media activity from the Kansas City Star, Atchison
Daily Globe, St. Joseph News Press and Channel 2 KQTV in St. Joseph.
Then in December, Sierra Club's general meeting offered an illustrated
presentation on the proposed power plants, the environmental,
public health and economic costs of coal-burning electric generation,
and renewable energy options. Energy professionals were on hand
to answer questions at the conclusion of the presentation. The
meeting generated more media coverage and attracted more individuals
eager to help in our campaign to oppose the power plants and educate
the community.
Susan Brown of Dearborn in Platte County learned about GPE's plans
to build very near her home when she received a postcard Sierra
Club's Power Plant Committee sent to alert Sierra Club members
in the northland and to invite them to the December meeting. The
entire metro area will be affected by the pollution from these
projects but northland communities will find themselves within
30 miles of 5 coal-burning power plants if two additional plants
are built.
Susan immediately understood the impact to her family and her
community and contacted me to find out what she could do to stop
these plants from being built. Understanding the role of media
in educating the public, Susan began calling local northland newspapers
and asked them why they werenāt reporting on the story. The Platte
County Landmark was the first newspaper to pick up the story at
Susanās request. Mark Vasto, a Landmark reporter, has run front-page
stories on the power plants every week since talking to Susan.
Susan proved to be a quick study and an excellent local spokesperson
concerning the public health effects of coal-fired pollution.
Not long after the Landmark began reporting on the issue other
local papers decided to run with it, although some reluctantly.
For up to five consecutive weeks there have been articles in The
Landmark, The Platte County Citizen, Sun News Northland, Atchison
Daily Globe, and the St. Joe New Press. Channel 2 TV in St. Joe
ran three interviews with Susan and myself. The Weston Chronicle
also began to report on the issue.
In the mean time Susan contacted Concerned Citizens of Platte
County, Inc. (CCPC) and invited them to join the opposition. CCPC
is a grass-roots organization that formed in 1996 in response
to a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) or "mega-hog
factory" planned for the Camden Point community. CCPC played
a significant role in overturning the revision of Planning &
Zoning's definition of "Commercial Feed Lot," which
would have permitted CAFOs in Platte County. CCPC was also instrumental
in the development of Platte County's health ordinances for the
regulation of CAFOs. CCPC voted to join the opposition and named
Susan to be Power Plant Committee Chair.
Susan also approached the Platte County Commission. Susan, myself
and several other community members have spoken to the Commission
at several of their meetings to ask their position and provide
information concerning the health and environmental impacts of
these projects. Susan asked the Commission to request and Environmental
Impact Statement and public hearings on the Missouri project.
Our reception at the meetings hasnāt been encouraging.
In 2002 the Platte County Commission voted unanimously to enter
into a development agreement with the company and issue Chapter
100 bonds (up to $1.1 Billion) for the construction period plus
23 years to finance the construction of the facility. An additional
($250 million) was authorized for "Capitol Improvements".
Commissioner Steve Wegner said he received "countless calls
from people in the West Platte School District who wanted us to
support the project". He also professed faith in the governmentās
ability to protect him, "Are there health issues? Sure, there
probably are. But I have a lot of confidence and faith in the
government structure that they will not do something that is detrimental
to my health". I guess Commissioner Wegner forgot that he
is our government and he isn't looking out for our health and
welfare.
Community members were also dispatched to speak to the three Missouri
school boards in the immediate area of the proposed power plant
near Weston. The Weston School Board (West Platte School District)
will benefit financially from the project and supports it in spite
of the fact that all of their schools are located within 10 miles
of what will be a major source of pollution.
Toxic Landfill - information session
The ash from coal combustion is stored in landfills. A toxic landfill
is just another health and environmental threat associated with
burning coal. Coal combustion waste (CCW) is highly toxic, containing
concentrated levels of arsenic, mercury, cadmium, chromium, lead,
selenium, sulfates, boron, and other contaminants that have been
well documented to cause deformities, infertility, genetic damage
and death in plants and wildlife. The potential to contaminate
the groundwater of nearby communities is high.
On January 8th the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
held a landfill public awareness session in Weston, Mo. The meeting
was held to provide information on the landfill permitting process.
Thanks to our efforts, public announcements in area newspapers
turned out 150-200 residents for the meeting. The DNR was overwhelmed.
CCPC and Sierra Club members were there to ask questions and to
ask local residents to sign on to letters requesting public hearings
on the air, water and landfill permits and an Environmental Impact
Statement. Commissioner Wegner was present at the meeting and
the crowd took him to task for supporting the power plants.
Concerned Citizens were prepared to ask the following questions.
(Not all our questions were answered but they did provide food
for thought for those in attendance.)
1. Can the CCW landfill contaminate our drinking water?
2. Are these wastes exempted from EPAās hazardous waste disposal
requirements?
3. Are Missouriās rules concerning these landfills adequate to
control and protect public health and environmental risk?
4. Will these contaminants enter the environment through dust,
by leaching into the groundwater or from discharges into surface
waters?
5. Will there be any discharges permitted?
6. What contaminants in the discharge are regulated?
7. What contaminants in the discharge known to be in coal combustion
waste are not regulated?
8. Will the disposal site be lined?
9. Will it have ground water monitoring?
In fact CCW is exempt from EPA's hazardous waste disposal requirements
and all regulation is delegated to the states. I understand Missouri's
CCW landfill regulations are more stringent than those in Kansas
and do require the landfill be lined and have groundwater monitoring.
Curiously, the proposed landfill will be as large as 140 acres
(including the fill and a buffer zone) and will sit in the Missouri
river flood plain. Residents wanted to know what will happen to
all that toxic waste the next time the river floods?
Missouri Sierra Club members and Concerned Citizens of Platte
County, Inc. will continue to educate the community on the health
and environmental impacts of burning coal and the alternatives
we have available - efficiency and renewable energy like wind
and solar. The Kansas Sierra Club and Leavenworth Citizens for
the Quality of Life will lead the effort across the river. We
will of course collaborate in our efforts.
January will be a busy time as we have three important meetings
scheduled to educate the public: Jan. 13th, the regular meeting
of Sierra Club's Kanza group in Overland Park, Ks.; Jan. 14th
- public meeting in Camden Point, Missouri sponsored by Concerned
Citizens for Platte County, Inc.; Jan. 15th - public meeting in
Leavenworth sponsored by Sierra Club and Leavenworth Citizens
for the Quality of Life. Each meeting will feature an illustrated
presentation on the proposed power plants and the environmental,
public health, and economic costs of coal-fired electric generation
along with explorations of some energy options, including efficiency,
conservation, and renewable energy. On the 14th and 15th energy
professionals will be on hand to answer questions and concerns.
If you would like to learn more or be involved in some small or
large way contact Melissa Blakley, 816.741.8200, m.blakley@earthlink.net.
Action: Please write letters to request full public hearings and
an Environmental Impact Statement with a Health Assessment to:
Air Pollution Control Permit: Leanne Tippett, Director - Air Pollution
Control Program, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, P.O.
Box 176, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Water Pollution Control Permit: Douglas R. Berka, Regulatory Project
Manager, Dept of the Army, KC District, Corps of Engineers, 700
Federal Building, Kansas City MO 64106-2896
Environmental Impact Statement with a Health Assessment: Administrator,
US EPA Region 7, 901 N 5th Street, Kansas City, KS 66101.