Natural Gas Plants are Worse When Supply Chain is Considered
From Duane Nichols, Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition & WV Sierra Club, October 16, 2021
JOIN THE ON-LINE MEETING, SIGN UP TO SPEAK, AND/OR SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS
Longview II Power, now renamed as Mountain State Clean Energy (MSCE), has proposed a new 1200-MW (or is it 1300 MW) gas-fired power plant adjacent to their current 700-MW coal-fired plant in the Fort Martin community in Monongalia County. The plant would emit over 5 million tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) per year, and this does not include upstream natural gas emissions from wells, pipelines, etc. to produce the natural gas to fire the plant.
The draft air pollution permit would allow emissions of 210 Tons per year (TPY) of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), 39.9 TPY Sulfur Dioxide, 321 TPY NOx, 276 TPY Carbon Monoxide, 141 TPY Volatile Organic Compounds, and 23.3 TPY Hazardous Air Pollutants.
An on-line public hearing will be held 6:00 p.m. on Tues., October 19, 2021. Register by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. Register at https://forms.gle/Cwev9iQPtieG8cU46
Alternatively, you can email comments to Edward.S.Andrews@wv.gov with “Mountain State Clean Energy Comments” in the subject line, or Mail hard copy comments to: Edward Andrews, WV Dept of Environmental Protection, Division of Air Quality, 601 57th Street, SE, Charleston, WV 25304. Written comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 1, 2021.
Here are some of the issues identified with the existing draft permit:
#1 — WV-DEP should include “upstream” emissions of natural gas (methane) from gas wells, pipelines, & compressors as part of the emissions associated with this new power plant.
#2 — WV-DEP must reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions limits. The proposed limits include too many assumptions that allow increased emissions. The emissions limits are higher than those adopted or proposed for other similar power plants in West Virginia.
#3 — WV-DEP should omit the “Unit Degradation” provisions of the permit. This approach assumes that MSCE will allow their pollution controls to deteriorate with age, and proper maintenance should be mandatory.
#4 — WV-DEP should require repairs of leaks and fugitive emissions as soon as practicable. The permit allows 30 days, and as much as two years in some cases, before leaks must be fixed.
#5 — WV-DEP should describe how they address Environmental Justice concerns. MSCE is the third major pollution source in the Fort Martin community. This community is disproportionately burdened with noise, traffic and air pollution. The surrounding communities will also be impacted.
#6 — WV-DEP needs to provide an updated draft permit and a new public comment period, due to incomplete and misleading information.
Additional information, including copies of the draft permit, application, and all other supporting materials relevant to the permit decision may be downloaded at:
https://dep.wv.gov/daq/permitting/Pages/NSR-Permit-Applications.aspx
[References: Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition (MVCAC) & WV Sierra Club, PO Box 4142, Morgantown, WV 26504]
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See also: Bloomberg Green — An Empire of Dying Wells, Zachary R. Mider and Rachel Adams-Heard, October 12, 2021: Old oil and gas sites are a climate menace. Meet the company that owns more of America’s decaying wells than any other.
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