Mercury: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 4

Mercury: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Part 4

To avoid paying for expensive pollution controls, Portland General Electric (PGE) is planning to close the Boardman coal-burning power plant by the year 2020, about twenty years earlier than original plans.

Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recommends that PGE look for more options. The early closure is still on the table, but DEQ thinks there needs to be more discussion, more options, more alternatives.

Ten more years of pollution seems too long.

The Boardman coal-burning power plant is Oregon's largest single source of pollution and acid rain. New federal regulations force Oregon to take a hard stand, confronting PGE about longstanding pollution. Nitrogen oxide emissions must be reduced by 84% and sulfur dioxide by 80%. The cost? About $470,000,000. Rather than upgrade, PGE is planning to close the plant.

The Boardman plant emits 5,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 15,000 tons of sulfur/nitrogen dioxide, and 200 pounds of mercury every year.

I'm not comfortable criticizing PGE. I have friends who work there. It's been a supporter of Morrow county and nearby Boardman. But the cost of pollution is too great.

Reference Links:

http://www.oregon.gov/DEQ/

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/05/18/deq-lets-take-another-look-at-an-early-shut-down-of-boardman

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/05/05/standing-room-only-for-deq-meeting-on-boardman-coal-plant

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/05/04/clean-up-or-shut-down-new-pressure-on-the-boardman-coal-plant

http://www.naturaloregon.org/2010/01/17/more-views-on-pges-early-shut-down-of-boardman

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Comments

  1. Asleep at the switch!

    Alert readers tactfully informed me that my posted photo was NOT that of the Boardman power plant.

    I regret the mistake. Thanks to my readers for setting me right. I've changed the photo to a more generic one. I found several photos of the boardman plant, but I try to use photos that I'm sure are royalty-free.

    Some comments suggested that extreme environmentalism will squash nuclear and wind
    generation of power.

    I'm not sure nuclear is off the table. 18 facilities have applied to the NRC for license, selected specific localities and generation limits. (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_reactors/reactorcom.html)

    NuScale Power in Corvalis, Oregon is developing small, modular nuclear power generators that promise affordable, safe power. (http://www.nuscalepower.com/index.php)

    Let's consider taking the money saved by early shut down of the Boardman coal-fired power plant and invest in NuScale.

    Readers also report that PGE is investing in their workforce, providing training and support for education as they plan for an early shut down of the plant. That's good!

    Thank you, readers, for supportive, constructive comments!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Apple Seeds and Cyanide

How to Connect Trailer Wiring: 2003 Chevy S-10 Pickup

Google Chrome Browser: Remember Window Size & Position