THE BURNING OF COAL AND YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE

FP&L Coal Power Plant Present a Clear and Present Danger to Public Health

• At 1,960 Megawatts (MW), it would be one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the nation. (Florida Power and Light Site Certification Application filed December 22, 2006).
• It will be a 5,000 acre industrial facility in the heart of the Everglades - next to the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee, 5 miles from the Fisheating Creek WMA and about 65 miles from Everglades NP. The facility will have a plant life of over 50 years – spewing harmful pollutants 24/7 onto the local community and Everglades ecosystem.

WATER ISSUES: (Florida Power and Light Site Certification Application filed December 22, 2006).

• The power plant will use 26 million gallons a day. All the water could be pulled from the Upper Floridan Aquifer with the potential to impact neighboring wells and wetlands.
• Industrial wastewater will be pumped into Underground Injection Control (UIC) wells.  UIC wells have a history of not containing the injected fluid. Several UIC wells have been closed in Miami after the casings leaked or the partially treated wastewater migrated upwards through cracks in the “boulder zone” – threatening local drinking water supplies. 

AIR ISSUES: An Alphabet Soup of Toxins

(Florida Power and Light Site Certification Application filed December 22, 2006).

Mercury (Hg) 180 lbs/year: - making it one of the largest emitters of Hg in Florida

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin. In 2004, EPA indicated that 1 in 6 women of childbearing age have mercury levels in her blood above EPA’s safe health threshold. (Centers for Disease Control, January 2003. Second National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals).

This places children born to these women, and children under age 12 at risk of developmental disorders from eating fish contaminated with mercury. It may also contribute to heart disease in adults. (Committee on the Toxicological Effects of Methyl mercury. Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology. Commission on Life Sciences. National Research Council. Toxicological Effects of Methyl mercury, 2000. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309071402/html).  

Florida is under a statewide fish consumption advisory due to mercury. The advisory includes Lake Okeechobee, Fisheating Creek, and the Caloosahatchee River – and includes Largemouth Bass, Bowfin and Bluegill. How much more mercury contamination can the fish in these water bodies absorb without further threatening our health and way of life?

See: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/floridafishadvice/Fish_consumption_guide.pdf

• EPA states that two-thirds of mercury contamination is from man-made sources – a substantial amount is emitted by coal-fired power plants.
• An enormous percentage of locally emitted mercury pollution from coal power plants contaminates the surrounding locale and region. The Electric Power Research Institute has concluded that, depending on location, 20% to 80% of power plant mercury emissions come from local sources.

(Levin, L., Electric Power Research Institute, Mercury Science Update, Presentation to the Edison Electric Institute. December 4, 2002)

• There is no “safe” form or amount of mercury in the Everglades, where mercury is readily converted to its methylated form and bioaccumulated. In the open sawgrass marshes methyl mercury magnifies up the food chain to toxic levels in carnivorous species of birds, raccoons and panthers. The lengthy and comprehensive study conducted by the EPA and Florida agencies, concluded that there was a direct correlation between local mercury emissions and local ecosystem mercury contamination. (U.S. EPA, South Florida Ecosystem Assessment: Phase I/II – Everglades Stressor System Interactions: Hydro patterns, Eutrophication, Habitat Alteration and Mercury Contamination, September 2001 (EPA 904-R-01-002)).

Nitrogen Oxide (NOx): 3,827/ tons per year

NOx Is emitted when burning fossil fuels. When combined with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs – 260 tons per year) and sunlight – ground level ozone is created. According to the EPA, the impacts of NOx include:

• The formation of ground-level ozone, or smog, can trigger serious respiratory problems – like asthma. Local air quality is already degraded by sugar cane burning.   
• It contributes to atmospheric particles that cause visibility impairment which is illegal in national parks but not as tightly regulated where people live!

Everglades National Park Superintendent, Dan Kimball, recently sent a letter to DEP questioning FPL’s modeling techniques and expressing concern about haze in the Park.

See: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/Air/permitting/construction/fplglades/NPSGladesRAI.pdf

Particulate matter (PM): over 1,000 tons per year- Particulate matter, or soot, is cancer causing agent and contributes to regional haze. It is also a local health issue. Many particles of soot are so small that they bypass the body’s defenses lodging directly in the lungs. Stacks of studies have linked it to lung cancer and heart problems. (American Lung Association at: http://www.4cleanair.org/ScienceSummary-605.pdf).

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): 3,049 tons per year-: SO2 emissions from power plants in Everglades marshes feed the bacteria which are responsible for converting mercury to its dangerous, methylated form. It is also a precursor to “acid rain” that deposits into water bodies – transforming our waterways into a more acidic, inhospitable environment for local plant life, animals and fish. 

Carbon dioxide: CO2 – 16 million tons per year

Carbon dioxide emissions are a global warming pollutant. The warming of the planet is changing the climate. The Florida ecosystem is on the front line of impacts - sea levels rise would threaten the Florida coast with substantial impacts on human populations and ecologically sensitive areas.

Power plants emit 40% of US CO2 totals. This power plant will be the largest coal plant in Florida and one of the largest in the country. Therefore, it will likely be the largest point source emitter of CO2 in the entire state.

More questions than answers about overstated job claims, property tax revenue and coal rail traffic. Construction jobs will be temporary and require the use of “outside” labor. As FP&L depreciates its plant – property tax revenue will plunge dramatically – while pollution levels remain constant for several generations. Coal rail traffic may block major railroads through Glades / Hendry County for prolonged periods of time – creating a safety hazard. With a massive industrial facility in the vicinity – property and home values will face downward pressure – as the Glades County way of life is lost.

A better way: Energy efficiency policies can offset most of the electricity demand growth in the state over the next 15 years – investment in renewable energy sources will further reduce the need for conventional coal power plants. These policies can serve over 45% of projected needs for electricity in 2023 – eliminating the need for the Glades coal plant. (Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Potential for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to Meet Florida’s Growing Energy Demands, February 2007).

Prepared by Save It Glades Now, Inc. (SING) www.saveitnowglades.org – an organization opposed to the construction of any new coal-fired power plants due to negative public health impacts and concerns over the deterioration of our pristine natural heritage and treasured places like the Everglades, Fisheating Creek and the Caloosahatchee River.