Columbus, Oh — Ohio is at a crossroads: recent data shows that Ohio has the 2nd highest amount of CO2 pollution from power plants; but at the same time state businesses, veterans, and world leaders are coming together to lay the groundwork for a clean energy future for Ohio, America, and the entire world.
When President Obama addresses the United Nations climate negotiators in Copenhagen next week, several Ohioans will be present to convey Ohio’s support for a clean energy future. Several representatives of Ohio based businesses will explain how limiting global warming emissions can stimulate Ohio businesses, while Iraq war veteran Glen Kunkle of Akron, Ohio will detail why the U.S. dependence on fossil fuels is a national security disaster.
U.S. leadership on climate issues marks a turning point for the Country. While developments on the international scene are encouraging, a new report from Environment Ohio puts into sharp relief the devastating effects that Ohio’s dependence on coal-fired electricity is having on our climate.
The report shows that Ohio has 6 of the top 100 dirtiest coal plants in the country, all of which are more than three decades old. The General James M. Gavin coal-fired power plant in Cheshire, Ohio is the dirtiest power plant in Ohio based on carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution ranking it as the 10th dirtiest plant in the country for 2007, according to a new analysis of government data released today by Environment Ohio.
“It’s time for America to move away from these old and dirty power plants and transition to a clean economy,” said Jeff McCourt, the Energy Advocate for Environment Ohio. “Coal-fired power has monopolized Ohio’s electricity portfolio for decades because it has been allowed to pollute without license. In order to stop global warming and reap all the benefits of clean energy, we must require old coal-fired plants to meet modern standards for global warming pollution.”
Coal is the dirtiest of all fuels, but it supplies more of Ohio’s (and America's) electricity than any other source. Coal plants currently do not have to meet any global warming pollution standard, meaning that they are an unchecked contributor to global warming. In fact, coal plants are the nation’s single largest source of global warming pollution.
The growing impacts of global warming will impose threats to our safety and immense financial cost on our society. Most notably for Ohio, this will mean drier soils and lower crop yields for Ohio’s farmers and lower water levels in Lake Erie. To avoid the worst effects of global warming, the science shows that the United States must cut its global warming pollution by 35 percent by 2020.
The new report from Environment Ohio, “America's Biggest Polluters: Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Power Plants in 2007,” looks at carbon dioxide emissions from power plants across the country using 2007 data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2007 is the most recent year for which final data is available. The report examines both age of and pollution from power plants to document the fact that we are reliant on an energy infrastructure that is both old and polluting. The key findings include the following:
- Ohio ranked 2nd nationwide for the most carbon dioxide pollution from power plants in 2007.
- The General James M. Gavin power plant located in Cheshire, Ohio ranked as the 10th dirtiest power plant in the country in 2007 based on its carbon dioxide emissions. The Gavin plant has been in operation since 1974, just after Richard Nixon became President, and produces the same amount of global warming pollution in a year as nearly 3.5 million (3,358,188) of today’s cars.
Nationally, the report shows that America's power is dominated by old and polluting plants, and that the oldest and dirtiest plants often go hand-in-hand. Power plants built three decades ago or more produced 73 percent of the total global warming pollution from power plants in 2007. Older power plants on average are dirtier per unit of energy than newer ones.
“America's power is both decades-old and dangerously polluting. We’re reliant on technology that’s as old as the very first commercially available televisions. While televisions have gone from black-and-white clunkers to super high-definition flat screens they are still powered by the same dirty electricity,” McCourt said.
“Clean energy holds the future of America—to make our nation energy independent, create millions of new jobs, and stop the worst effects of global warming. In order to realize this clean energy future, coal plants must stop polluting with impunity,” continued McCourt.
The U.S. Senate is slated to consider legislation in the next few months to establish the first-ever federal limits on global warming pollution and standards and incentives for clean energy. However, the coal industry is fighting the transition to clean energy. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a coal industry lobby group, spent at least $40 million dollars in 2008 alone – more than $100,000 a day – on lobbyists and advertising on energy. Earlier this year, they hired lobbyists who forged phony constituent letters to Congress opposing action on clean energy.
“We urge Senators Brown and Voinovich follow the President’s example of leadership on global warming by voting for a strong clean energy bill that will cut global warming pollution and create clean energy jobs in Ohio,” concluded McCourt.
###
Environment Ohio is a state-based, citizen-funded environmental organization working for clean air, clean water, and open space.
Americas-Biggest-Polluters-2009.pdf