[Iowa-dx] Sierra Club Sues Over New Coal Plant Proposal

[hhart@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu]

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2007 Contact: Carrie La
Seur, 319-560-4729
Mark Kresowik, 319-621-7393
Debbie Neustadt, 515-263-0297

Sierra Club Sues Over New Coal Plant Proposal
Files on Violations at Existing Facilities

Des Moines ? Today Plains Justice filed a complaint in U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of Iowa against MidAmerican Energy Company on
behalf of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club. The complaint alleges that
MidAmerican Energy Company built and is operating multiple new sources of
air pollution without Prevention of Significant Deterioration (?PSD?)
permits, and built and is operating multiple new sources of air pollution in
violation of existing PSD permits at Council Bluffs Energy Center (?CBEC?)
Unit 4. CBEC Unit 4 is a 790 MW addition to the existing 820 MW facility at
Council Bluffs and is the largest source of new air and global warming
pollution in the State of Iowa.

?MidAmerican Energy Company is attempting to expand and lock-in our
overdependence on dirty coal technology for the next 40 years or more while
ignoring the law,? said Debbie Neustadt, Political Chair of the Iowa Chapter
of the Sierra Club. ?There are many energy efficiency and clean energy
resource options that should be considered first if we want to move toward a
new 21st Century energy economy. We don?t believe this rush to lock-in coal
is in the public?s or ratepayers? best interests.?

Plains Justice also alleges MidAmerican Energy is violating emission
standards and limitations under the federal Clean Air Act (?CAA?) as well as
Iowa state law and permits for the CBEC and the Riverside Energy Center
power plant (?Riverside?) in Bettendorf.

?DNR records show multiple instances when these facilities were emitting
more pollution than the law allows,? said Carrie La Seur, President of
Plains Justice. ?We are starting the process to achieve enforcement of the
Clean Air Act in Iowa.?

Plains Justice and the Sierra Club also filed comments with the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources on proposed amendments to the PSD
Construction Permits for CBEC Unit 4 and requested a public hearing in
Council Bluffs. Iowa gets more than 80% of its electricity from coal, and
coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of global warming
pollution.

?When Governor Culver signed a bill addressing global warming he challenged
Iowans to take ?any and all steps? to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions.
It is time to get serious about clean energy solutions in Iowa and recognize
our overdependence on coal plants,? said Sierra Club organizer Mark
Kresowik. ?Iowans have the right to be included in vital decisions like
these and MidAmerican should offset their illegal emissions.?

Two additional coal plants have been proposed in Iowa, a 750 MW plant
proposed by New Jersey-based LS Power just outside of East Waterloo and a
600 MW plant proposed by Wisconsin?s Alliant Energy in Marshalltown.
Alliant proposes another 300MW plant at Cassville, WI, just across the
Mississippi River from Clayton County, Iowa. With CBEC Unit 4, these plants
could increase Iowa?s heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from coal by
more than a third, and increase Iowa?s mercury emissions by hundreds of
pounds annually. Thousands of Iowans have already signed petitions against
the proposed plant near East Waterloo.

Citizens should contact the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the
Governor to ask for full enforcement of the Clean Air Act and a halt to
building new coal plants in Iowa.

Mark Kresowik
Midwest Clean Energy Campaign
Sierra Club
mark.kresowik@sierraclub.org
319-621-7393 (cell)
515-276-4690 (office)
515-251-4811 (fax)
3839 Merle Hay Road
Suite 280
Des Moines, IA 50310