Blog post by Elizabeth Scrafford, Sierra Club Organizing Manager
Sierra Club continues to rise with local residents and Sierra Club members who oppose the proposed Lincoln Land Energy Center—a “natural” gas plant that EmberClear wants to build in Pawnee, Illinois. If built, this gas plant would be right in town and close to a school, putting community members at risk of pollution and related health issues. We shouldn’t be building a new gas plant in the midst of a climate crisis. Join us and send a comment to the EPA today.
For years, EmberClear has been proposing a gas plant in Pawnee and their operating permit is now open for public comment. The proposed plant would be built at 15000 Black Diamond Rd in Pawnee, which is close to people’s homes and schools. Sierra Club joined neighbors in voicing our opposition in 2017 when zoning permits were filed because of concerns for our climate, health, environment and the high costs of gas.
Now, in 2021, as we struggle with an extreme drought, destructive fires, and unhealthy air quality, building a new gas-fired power plant is an even riskier proposition for our shared climate. As technology advances and costs continue to decline for clean energy (while gas prices keep going up), this proposed gas plant is even riskier for energy customers. Although the recent passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act is a huge win for climate in Illinois, we must keep working to ensure new gas plants aren't permitted before 2045. If gas plants are too dangerous to be built in 2045, they shouldn't be permitted in 2021.
Lincoln Land is an Unnecessary Risk for Sangamon County
We don’t need the Lincoln Land Energy Center for a myriad of reasons:
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It’s really expensive: A 2019 study published by Rocky Mountain Institute looked at 88 proposed gas plants around the country and found that 90% of them would provide electricity that costs more than if the utilities instead invested in wind, solar and energy efficiency. And the economics are only better for clean energy in 2021.
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It’s risky for customers: President Biden is calling for the US to be Carbon Free by 2035; Illinois just passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act which will bring clean energy online across the state AND would require that this plant retire by the year 2045! “Natural” gas is not clean energy. Lincoln Land would begin operations in 2024 and customers would be on the hook paying for the gas plant past its useful life.
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We shouldn’t be building new fossil fuel plants in the midst of a climate crisis. Gas plants burn fossil fuels and are big climate polluters. First, extracting gas (most often through fracking) releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas that traps more heat than carbon dioxide, although it also breaks down more quickly than CO2. Experts agree that methane is 30 to 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and that’s not a good thing. Burning gas for power produces greenhouse gases, too. When both carbon and methane emissions are considered, the latest science shows that the build-out of gas infrastructure will prevent us from reducing greenhouse gas emissions enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The proposed permit would allow Lincoln Land Energy Center to emit 3.9 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent each year from the plant itself, and an estimated 3.4 million additional tons of CO2 equivalent “upstream” emissions from extracting and transporting gas. These emissions are equal to the carbon emissions created by 1.6 million passenger vehicles.
There’s still time to say NO to the Lincoln Land Energy Center
EmberClear does not have all the approvals they need to start construction.
EmberClear needs approval from the Illinois EPA before beginning construction on this plant. Your comment could help stop the permit—take action now. There will also be a chance to speak at a public hearing beginning at 7:00 p.m. CST on November 17, 2021 at the Pawnee CUSD #11 School gymnasium, 810 North 4th Street in Pawnee. Join us in fighting the Lincoln Land Energy Center.