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<br />Ore ~ ~N~&~~
<br />SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1999 ..
<br />.Carolina's ozone problem,"
<br />Holman said.
<br />But how much the power plants
<br />. contribute to that ozone problem
<br />. .. .. .. is still a matter of debate.
<br />State meteorologist George
<br />. Bridgers made a connection when
<br />the Triangle recorded its un-
<br />healthiest level of ozone pollution
<br />.~ in years. On Wednesday Aug. 18,
<br />_ _ the third day of school in Wake
<br />County, the air outside East
<br />Millbrook Middle School in
<br />Raleigh was 96 degrees,' hazy and
<br />. dangerous.
<br />. .. flirting w6th fade Purple
<br /> A meter housed in a little white
<br />` , +, ,;. building on the school grounds
<br />1 ' ' ~ recorded an "air quality index" of
<br />..;::~';`,:°;~;~;:c;c:~``''~`=~;;~:~:* 200 - one point away from a
<br />"
<br />{:~~-;; ~,.. ~~:~~:~~ ~~~ ~'~~ ~ Code Purple level. At
<br />that level,
<br />• the state would have warned chil-
<br />e ~ ~"'• '' ~ ' ~~ ~ ' "` ~ ~~' dren to stay indoors all day.
<br /> That morning, the wind was
<br /> blowing from the northwest.
<br /> Bridgers said the wind was
<br />. . ~ undoubtedly carrying smog-form-
<br /> ing gases from CP&L's Roxboro
<br /> and Mayo plants all the way from
<br /> Person County to the Triangle.
<br />. "They do~impact the air quality
<br />,. • , . ; ~
<br />~ in the Triangle on specific days
<br />. when the winds are from the north-
<br /> west," Bridgers said. "I don't think
<br />. ~ there's any argument about that."
<br /> John Bachmann, one of the
<br /> EPA's top ozone pollution experts,
<br />' ~ ~ said research has shown that
<br /> plumes of ozone form downwind
<br /> from.coal-fired power plants. In
<br /> certain weather, he said, the
<br />- Roxboro plant, for example, could
<br /> pollute the air as much as all the
<br />.: ~ tailpipes of cars and trucks run-
<br /> ning in the Triangle that day.
<br /> "If the wind was coming from the
<br /> north, the power plant could be as
<br /> influential as the local cars," said
<br /> Bachmann, associate director of the
<br /> EPAs air quality and pollution stan-
<br /> dards headquarters in Durham.
<br /> But the data are still not avail-
<br />`~~ ~ ~ able to backup those suspicions.
<br />• • The state Division of Air Quality
<br />." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~ has been studying the movement
<br /> of ozone in North Carolina. It
<br /> expects initial results in the sum-
<br /> mer of 2000. "We don't have the
<br /> hard numbers in hand yet Lto
<br /> show] that these units need con-
<br /> troy" said Brock Nicholson, the
<br /> agency's planning chief.
<br />Duke Power and CP&L say the
<br />regulators should keep their noses
<br />out of the smokestacks until those
<br />hard numbers are available.
<br />Representatives for the two utili-
<br />tieshave been meeting with Hunt
<br />administration officials in the past
<br />year in hopes of making the state
<br />back down from a plan they say is
<br />premature.
<br />This year, federal judges have
<br />thrown out or delayed the EPA's
<br />tighter standards on nitrogen
<br />oxide and ozone pollution. The
<br />companies argue that the state
<br />should wait for federal guidance
<br />before introducing new anti-pol-
<br />lution measures. It's a policy most
<br />states are following.
<br />At the very least, CP&L and
<br />Duke Power say, no new regula-
<br />tions should be imposed before the
<br />state air pollution study is finished.
<br />George Everett, a Duke Power
<br />lobbyist, said his company knows
<br />it will have to reduce its pollution.
<br />But, he said, "we don't know what
<br />steps to take at what plants to
<br />meet what standard." .
<br />P~iwer deregulati®n lmt9ms
<br />For North Carolina's two power
<br />company giants, the costly regula-
<br />tionscouldn't come at a worse time.
<br />Duke Power and CP&L estimate
<br />that installing the pollution equip-
<br />ment would cost $500 million to
<br />$600 million, at a time when
<br />they're trimming costs in prepa-
<br />ration far a competitive power
<br />market.
<br />"Six hundred million, even for
<br />companies the size of CP&L and
<br />Duke, is real money," said Dr. Ed
<br />Erickson, a professor of econom-
<br />ics at N.C. State University. "And
<br />you can only spend the same
<br />money once."
<br />Erickson said that at a time of
<br />scarce resources, new emissions
<br />controls might not accomplish the
<br />most social good. If the power
<br />companies are allowed to recov-
<br />ersuch investments through their
<br />rates, for instance, it will be resi-
<br />dents of the state who end up pay-
<br />ing the final bill, Erickson noted.
<br />Duke Power, which owns seven
<br />of the state's 14 coal-fired power
<br />plants, has offered a counter-
<br />proposal to "voluntarily" cut 30
<br />percent of the pollution generat-
<br />ed byall its stations -rather than
<br />reduce two-thirds of nitrogen
<br />oxides emissions at the three
<br />biggest plants.. CP&L has not
<br />made a specific,offer for voluntary
<br />cuts, but it has urged Hunt to
<br />negotiate a compromise.
<br />The companies emphasize that
<br />they are already cutting their
<br />nitrogen oxides emissions to~ com-
<br />ply with federal acid-rain regula-
<br />tions.Duke Power will have spent
<br />$50 million by next~year to cut that
<br />pollution by 40 percent, while
<br />CP&L has spent $140 million on
<br />new burners at five plants to halve
<br />its release of nitrogen oxides.
<br />"There'has to be some recogni-~
<br />tion for the nitrogen oxide emis-
<br />sions reductions that are already
<br />taking place," said Hughes of
<br />CP&L.
<br />Rule-making a bag battle
<br />The power companies may find
<br />a sympathetic ear at the Envi-
<br />ronmental Management Commis-
<br />- sion. Its chairman, David Moreau,
<br />said the commission needs. de-
<br />tailed information on the goals
<br />and strategies of the cleanup plan.
<br />The rule-making process is shap-
<br />ing up as a political battle that
<br />could outlast the Hunt adminis-
<br />tration.
<br />"It's apparent we need to move
<br />forward, but we need to move for-
<br />ward in, an informed manner,"
<br />Moreau said in an interview "Right
<br />now, the commission is not well
<br />informed."
<br />Moreau will also hear criticism of
<br />Plant's plan -from another quarter.
<br />After a September forum on North
<br />Carolina's air woes, the Save Our
<br />State environmental group con-
<br />e chided that Hunt should require .
<br />state-of--the-art pollution controls
<br />at all 14 electric plants.
<br />Bruck, the N.C. State professor,
<br />said one study showed that the
<br />` state would have to cut its nitro-
<br />gen oxides emissions by 80 per-
<br />cent or more to lick the ozone
<br />problem. It's worth the cost to do
<br />so, he said. •
<br />"We are jeopardizing the fabric
<br />of our ecosystems and the health
<br />of the most vulnerable people in
<br />our society with the quality of our
<br />air,".Bruck said. ~ .
<br />Staff writer James Eli Shiffer can be reached
<br />at 836.5701 or ~shiffer@nnndo.com
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