Talking Points & Background for Public Hearings on Cliffside Coal Plant Expansion Public Hearings
- Why Energy Efficiency?
- Air Pollution in NC
- Meeting Energy Demands in NC
- Mercury Pollution in NC
- Global Warming Pollution and NC
- Mecklenburg County Data
- Other Resources on Air Pollution
- Over two-thirds of the energy utilities generate is lost before the electricity reaches consumers.
- The Southeast is the least energy efficient region in the United States.
- The average NC home uses 37% more electricity than the average American home.
- Utility companies in North Carolina spend less on energy efficiency than almost any other state. NC ranks almost last (46th) in the United States on expenditures on energy efficiency as a percent of utility revenues. NC taxpayers deserve better!
- North Carolina residents currently pay between $10 billion and $15 billion per year to import energy resources (oil, coal, natural gas and uranium).
- Energy efficiency reduces our dependence on out-of-state and foreign energy imports and keeps jobs and money in the state.
- Energy efficiency makes economic sense; programs to save energy cost 25% less than generating electricity from coal or nuclear.
- Energy efficiency creates more jobs across North Carolina; a recent study from Appalachian State University estimates energy efficiency programs could save $3 billion and support over 150,000 jobs in NC.
- States that have invested in energy efficiency have experienced greater economic growth per capita with more efficiency spending than North Carolina.
- Energy efficiency provides millions of dollars in energy savings to consumers and state and municipal government.
- Energy efficiency saves industrial, manufacturing, and other industries money on fuel costs.
- Energy efficiency strengthens rural communities and their economies, helping to preserve our land and heritage.
- Energy efficiency creates innovative jobs and economic growth opportunities in rural and urban counties, and keeps money circulating through communities, instead of leaving our state.
- For a strong state economy the NC Utilities Commission should adopt long-term policies that support sustainable but aggressive energy efficiency and renewable energy options - not more coal and nuclear power plants.
- Duke Energy has not adequately explored energy efficiency and conservation as an alternative to new coal generation.
Currently North Carolina imports virtually all of the energy we consume from other states or countries at a cost of at least $10 billion each year. About 60% of our energy for electricity comes from coal and 30% from nuclear. Meanwhile, utilities have proposed building new nuclear and coal plants in the state to meet growing demand for power.
Currently, in North Carolina, the utilities are paid for every unit of energy sold, and thus have little economic incentive to encourage efficient use of energy. A broad coalition of environmental groups is advocating for stronger energy efficiency measures in the state. One of the most important recommendations is for the NC Utilities Commission to consider potential gains from energy efficiency before allowing the expansion or construction of new, polluting power plants, such as the Cliffside plant. A second key proposal is for the state to reward our utilities for their productivity rather than the volume of the power they sell; this would give utilities a greater incentive to invest in energy efficiency.
North Carolina suffers from bad air, and coal-fired power plants are one of the main culprits. High levels of ozone and particulates – which primarily come from coal plants and motor vehicles - have been linked to asthma attacks in children and early death in adults. Air pollution harms the natural as well as the human environment, killing or weakening trees and wildlife in our mountain forests. And there is nowhere to hide: even the state's wilderness areas are regularly socked in with smog. At the other end of the state, coastal fish are contaminated with mercury – also primarily from coal power plants - that is emitted into the air and falls back into our rivers and estuaries.
The federal Clean Air Act (CAA) and state air quality laws regulate emissions from coal-fired power plants. In particular, in 2002 the North Carolina General Assembly adopted the Clean Smokestacks Act, calling for significant reductions in emissions of particulate and ozone-forming pollution from power plants by 2013. Federal and state laws also restrict emissions of another 188 "hazardous air pollutants" that can cause cancer and other serious health problems. However, greater reductions are needed to control mercury emissions from these plants (see below).
Finally, international scientific consensus holds that human emissions of carbon dioxide have begun to trigger significant shifts in world climate. Coal-fired power plants are a major source of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2005, the NC General Assembly established a state Global Warming Study Commission to explore ways North Carolina can address our emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants that contribute to global warming. This is likely to become over time the most significant air pollution problem we face (more below).
North Carolina has a mercury problem. North Carolina's 14 coal-fired power plants account for 70% of mercury emissions. Mercury is a known neurotoxin that is particularly damaging to fetuses (exposed through their mothers) and young children. The main path of exposure for humans is eating fish with high levels of mercury. Nationally, one in eight women of childbearing age has high mercury levels. In North Carolina, testing of fish by Riverkeeper groups has found unexpectedly high numbers of contaminated fish in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico river basins. All waters east of I-85 are under fish advisories for mercury.
In 2002, the state passed the landmark Clean Smokestacks Act to control nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. These controls are expected to have the side effect of reducing mercury emissions by 60% to 65% by 2013. Specific mercury reduction targets were omitted from the Clean Smokestacks bill with the understanding that the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was working towards a Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard that would result in a 90% reduction by 2008. Instead, in early 2005, the Bush Administration released a weak federal rule that calls for a 69% paper reduction by 2018, and that allows trading and banking of credits that could delay on-the-ground reductions for decades beyond that date.
North Carolina still has the option of adopting a stronger mercury reduction rule than the federal rule, but so far the State has not stepped up to the plate. The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC), the appointed state rulemaking body, has proposed a weak mercury rule. The proposed state rule requires no further reductions beyond Clean Smokestacks until after 2013, and with any further reductions to be determined after that date. The draft rules also allow banking and trading of pollution credits, and require only a total 70% reduction by 2018 or 2023. Environmental advocates argue the technology is available to achieve a 90% reduction by 2010 or sooner. A national association of state and local air pollution control officials has called for 90% reductions by 2012.
Global Warming Pollution and NC
The burning of fossil fuels and the release of excess carbon dioxide has created a blanket of heat trapping pollution in the Earth's atmosphere. Recent studies have found rapid warming on both poles and retreating glaciers around the world—all tangible signs of global warming. Yet, carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise. In North Carolina alone, emissions have increased more than 30% since 1990.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, the Bush Administration has stalled international efforts to address global warming. But the stakes are high—as global warming increases, coastal states such as North Carolina will likely see stronger hurricanes, rising seas that inundate the Outer Banks, and worsening air quality. And the longer we wait, the more severe the impact will be. Ultimately, global warming will require national and international action, but there are sensible steps NC can take now to limit our emissions and prepare for a world with warmer temperatures, altered weather patterns, and rising seas.
In 2005, a broad coalition of environmental groups put this issue on the legislature’s agenda; in response, legislators created a Commission on Global Climate Change, charged to study the issue of global climate change, and recommend whether the state should establish a global warming pollution reduction goal. This 34 member commission consists of representatives from the legislature, environmental community, industry, academia, and government. An interim report is due from the Commission in early 2007, and a final report in 2008.
- Mecklenburg County's State of the Environment Report 2006. Provides detailed data on air quality in Mecklenburg County including sources of particulate matter (PM), ozone pollution, and toxic air pollutants.
- American Lung Association State of the Air 2006. Grades all counties in NC on ozone pollution, particulate pollution, and breaks out groups of the population whose health is at risk due to air pollution.
Other Resources on Air Pollution
- What Are the Six Common Air Pollutants? Detailed information on the different sources of air pollution.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – AIRNow. Detailed information on air quality conditions and forecasts around the country.
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