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Department of Ecology News Release - September 8, 2009
09-221
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) encourages the public to review and comment on a proposed agreement that would reduce emissions from the state's lone coal-fired power plant near Centralia in Lewis County.
The proposed agreement with plant owner TransAlta has two parts: reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) that cause visibility-limiting haze in national parks and wilderness areas, and reducing mercury emissions.
As part of the proposed agreement, TransAlta will reduce NOx emissions by 20 percent below its current permit limit by Oct. 1, 2009. Ecology will issue an order that will make the company's agreement to reduce NOx emissions enforceable.
The proposed agreement also will reduce mercury emissions from TransAlta's plant. The company voluntarily agreed to start installing state-of-the-art controls for mercury emissions in 2009. TransAlta will test the controls and monitor emissions this year as part of a voluntary project to reduce the plant's mercury emissions, with full implementation in 2012. The plant emits mercury when it burns coal to produce electricity.
“This agreement will lead to real improvements in visibility and lower health risk from airborne mercury,” said Stuart Clark, Ecology's Air Quality Program manager.
Ecology will accept comments on the proposed agreement from Sept. 8 through Nov. 9. A public hearing is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at Ecology headquarters, 300 Desmond Drive SE, Lacey.
The proposed agreement completes a process that began last year to determine what the plant needed to do to meet Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) requirements. BART emission controls are required by federal law for certain industrial facilities emitting air pollutants, such as NOx, that cause or contribute to regional haze.
Ecology concluded that once the plant completes modifications in 2009, the plant's NOx emissions will meet BART standards. That decision is subject to federal review.
Federal officials have directed states to work to reduce regional haze in national parks and wilderness areas in coming decades.
The TransAlta plant is the largest stationary source of NOx emissions in Washington. Modeling shows that reducing the plant's emissions will improve visibility as far away as the Pasayten Wilderness in Okanogan County in north-central Washington and the Three Sisters Wilderness in central Oregon.
The proposed agreement and related documents may be reviewed at:
Send written comments to Alan Newman, Air Quality Program, Washington Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600. E-mail comments to AQcomments@ecy.wa.gov.
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Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-407-6848; 360-584-5744 cell; spre461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
