Date : Wed, 13 Apr 2016 14:06:02 -0400
For Immediate Release
April 13, 2016
Contact Jeff Tittel, 609-558-9100
B.L. England Power Plant Applies for DEP Air Permit: Dirty Deal for Dirty Air
BL England power plant has applied for a Title 5 NJDEP Air Pollution Operating permit to re-power their facility in Beesleys Point. Under the Administrative Consent Order (ACO), they had to inform NJDEP by May 1 2016 if they wanted to close for good. This plant was supposed to close in 2007, but it kept getting extended. In 2014, the DEP extended the deadline for the closure of the BL England plant for two years beyond its scheduled closure- which was the third time it has been extended. The Christie Administration has been delaying the closing so it can be re-powered, instead of re-built so it doesn’t have to be as clean. They want to get the power from the proposed South Jersey Gas pipeline in the Pinelands. The problem is that by re-powering B.L. England it does not have to meet the most up-to-date standards for air quality. Despite switching from coal to natural gas, pollution will actually increase by allowing it to operate 24/7, 365 days per year in addition to methane is 70 more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
“This new permit is a dirty deal for dirty air. The B.L. England power plant should have been closed in 2007, but this modified permit will allow it to keep polluting. The Christie Administration has played all kinds of games by extending the Administrative Consent Order to keep this plant open. Instead of building a new plant, they are allowed to re-power so they don’t have to meet the most up to date emission standards. They are trying to use a loophole to allow this plant to keep polluting at a higher level, affecting our lungs. This will allow emissions from fine pollutants and chemicals like cadmium, arsenic, chromium, and release 129,000 pounds of lead per year,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “The DEP is full of hot air with B.L. England. DEP is spinning the facts when they say this plant will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Those emissions are based on an old outdated permit, from years ago not their current operations and emissions. Currently unit 1 is closed and other parts of the plant only operates 60 days per year. This permit will increase the operation 24/7, 365 days per year. That means pollution will go up by a factor of 5. This power plant will still be the largest polluter and greenhouse gas emitter in this part of South Jersey. From cradle to grave natural gas is just as bad as coal. It will increase methane, which is 70 times more potent greenhouse gas compared to CO2, not to mention methane leaks from the pipeline and the plant. This is a DEP power play for South Jersey Gas and Rockland Capital at the expense of our environment, the Pinelands, and our lungs.”
The application is trying to get around the emission standards, by applying for a modification not a for building a new plant. This means the secondary operating units will be less efficient and do not have to follow the stricter standards.The air pollution control Operating Permit Renewal with Significant Modification for this facility is pursuant to the provisions of Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act, the federal rules promulgated at 40 CFR 70, and the state regulations promulgated at N.J.A.C. 7:27-22. It would allow the facility to continuing emitting nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and sulfur oxides. The Sierra Club has worked to permanently close this coal power plant with thousands of citizens signing petition and helping to pass resolutions. However, if it is re-powered with natural gas it will not be cleaner. Natural gas has 30 percent less carbon than coal when burned in the power plant, but has more methane released. If you look at leakage of methane from pipelines and drilling, natural gas has about the same emissions as coal, overall.This permit will allow emissions from fine particulates and even release 129,000 pounds of lead, 35,800 pounds of arsenic, 10,360 pounds of cadmium, and 99,000 pounds of chromium per year
“Re-powering B.L. England with natural gas will increase operations and hit people right in their lungs. You think drinking water in Newark has problems with lead. What about our air? If this power plant continues operation, ultra-fine particulate pollution will continue to cause asthma problems, especially in children who live in the area. Since the plant will operate for longer periods, it will actually increase emissions by about 500 percent and put more Mercury and super-heated water into the bay. This plant is unneeded and unnecessary” said Jeff Tittel. “If the permit is granted, it will further climate change impacts in an area just coming back from Hurricane Sandy. Ocean City will be devastated sea level rise and this power plant will only contribute to rising seas. The Governor and the Administration are clearly more concerned about B.L England than our environment if they keep this power plant open.”
The South Jersey Gas pipeline would run directly through the Pinelands, which protects 17 trillion gallons of water in its aquifer to Beesly Point to feed the BL England power plant. The pipeline will not only impact the Pinelands, but the ratepayers and the environment near Ocean City. The pipeline would cut a destructive scar through the Pinelands, which is internationally recognized as a U.N. Biosphere Reserve. This pipeline will not only lead to more water and air pollution from fracking and power plants; it will create irreversible harm to wetlands, streams, damaging important open spaces, and threaten our water supply. All this destructive is unneeded given that PJM grid operator have begun modeling for the shutdown of B.L. England.
“The Christie Administration has tried to pushed through the South Jersey Gas pipeline to keep B.L. England open longer, despite the fact that it is unneeded. We don’t need the power plant and we don’t need the pipeline. They have gamed the system on behalf of South Jersey Gas and the Pinelands Commission has gone along with it to keep B.L. England open. The South Jersey Gas pipeline would cut an ugly scar through the Pinelands, destroying environmentally sensitive land and open space as well as threatening our water supply. This permit is Governor Christie taking care of his buddies at South Jersey Gas,” said Jeff Tittel. “This permit should be denied because PJM grid operator says there are no grid reliability issues, has taken steps to prepare for the shutdown of B.L. England, and made improvements to the grid. Their analysis does not even consider the falling demand in the Atlantic City area and that there is a power plant closed in Atlantic City. The state has five other power plants coming online, which is another reason why B.L. England is not needed.”
Given BL England’s location this plant would have been a great facility for off shore wind generation instead of natural gas. The site is vulnerable to storm surges and sea level rise and should not be repowered. Clean air is an essential part of a healthy economy. If the site was re-developed it will not only reduce health costs and sick days for the residents of New Jersey, but investing in renewable energy will create jobs and protect our environment.
“Re-developing the site of the BL England plant would make much more sense than keeping this polluting power plant open. This site also has the potential for clean renewable energy like wind. Instead of all that pollution and an ugly smokestack, people could enjoy the environment and breathe easier. Ocean City and the region could also benefit from hotels, championship golf courses, wildlife areas, and restaurants as well as permanent jobs at this site,” said Jeff Tittel. “This plant has a direct impact not only on air quality, it impacts the Great Egg Harbor Bay. The plant kills millions of fish through its intake system, depletes the Bay and discharges heated water that causes algae to grow, which can cause eutrophication problems. If we re-develop this site, it will clean up our bay, and promote new recreation areas. No longer would the plant kill billions of aquatic organisms and harm the entire ecosystem.”
The Christie Administration has weakened protections in inspections, allows polluters to write their own rules, failed to move forward on reducing air pollution and climate impacts, privatized air permits, blocked offshore wind, and pulled out of RGGI, all which would make our air better. This permit should be denied to protect the region and clean up our air quality.
“We need to permanently close this dinosaur power plant and truly move towards a true clean energy future. The site of B.L. England power plant would be perfect for offshore wind. BOEM has recently auctioned off parcels of land off our coast for offshore wind that could provide 3,400 megawatts of energy and power 1.2 million homes. We need to stop the fossil foolishness of the past and focus on clean energy that provides green jobs. That would mean we would not need a damaging pipeline through the Pinelands, or this polluting power plant. It would actually give us a chance to move us to a clean energy future,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We plan on fighting this permit and the whole concept that it is re-powering not re-building an old power plant.The DEP is trying to play games so they can meet lesser emission standards than if it was a brand new state of the art plant.This power plant is killing fish, stealing our water, and adding pollution to Ocean City. Our air is unhealthy and the Christie Administration’s record on air has been unhealthy to our lungs. We are going to fight this permit and are having our lawyers look at what our best options are. We are going to the job the DEP is supposed to do, which is to protect the people of New Jersey”
The permit documents can be found here: http://www.nj.gov/dep/aqpp/downloads/publicnotpost/bledp.pdf and http://www.nj.gov/dep/aqpp/downloads/publicnotpost/blepn.pdf.
A public hearing will be held on May 10, 2016 at the Upper Township Municipal Building located at 2100 Tuckahoe Road Petersburg, NJ 08270, and the phone number is 609-628-2011 x 200. The public hearing will start at 7:00 PM and end at 9:00 PM.
Any comments on this draft permit must be received by May 10, 2016 and addressed to David Owen, NJDEP, 401 E State Street, 2nd Floor, PO Box 420, Mail Code 401-02, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420.
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Toni Granato Administrative Assistant New Jersey Sierra Club office:(609) 656-7612 https://www.facebook.com/NJSierraClub @NJSierraClub and @StopPilgrimNYNJ on Twitter
Received on 2016-04-13 11:06:02