Approval of power plant is attacked

Environmentalists and some Sevier County residents are upset about Tuesday's decision by the state of Utah to approve a coal-fired power plant in Sigurd, Sevier County.

The group, which includes doctors, business owners and national park advocates, said just hours after the Utah Division of Air Quality issued the permit that air quality and public health will suffer as a result of the plant.

A spokesman for the group — which includes the Grand Canyon Trust, Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club, Wasatch Clean Air Coalition and the Western Resource Advocates — said the plant will negatively impact public health, reduce visibility in national parks and threaten businesses that depend on Utah's pristine wilderness.

"Coal-fired power plants emit large amounts of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that can cause respiratory problems, acid rain and smog," spokesman Tim Wagner said. "In addition, 40 percent of all mercury emissions in the United States comes from coal-fired power plants. Mercury is a toxic metal that poses a major public health threat, particularly to the development of fetuses and children."

However, the proposed 270-megawatt plant was studied extensively by the Division of Air Quality before the permit was granted. It falls within all applicable state and federal air quality standards, said Regg Olsen, manager of permitting for the division.

"Our review does not indicate the level of concern they are expressing," Olsen said.

The $300 million plant would provide some 150 jobs for the town of 430 residents. But some locals have formed the Sevier County Citizens for Clean Air and Water to oppose the plant, scheduled to begin operating in 2008.

A sore point for residents, they say, is that they will have to deal with the pollution while the electricity goes to Nevada and California. The coal would come from a nearby mine.

As for the mercury issue, Olsen said the Sevier County coal planned for the plant meets all the requirements of the recently finalized federal mercury emissions standards.

"Mercury is a significant issue in the East because of the type of coal burned there," he said. "It's not so much of a concern here in the West because of the coal we burn.

"It's true that coal-fired plants emit large amounts of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, and they can cause respiratory issues, but the amounts we anticipate — even in the worst-case scenario — won't rise to those levels."

---

E-mail: lweist@desnews.com