The exemption will push the deadline for compliance with air toxics standards back by two years, despite every other similar coal plant complying with the rule.
CONTACTS
Dr. Lori Byron, MD | 406-671-5824 | lori.byron@gmail.com
Dr. Robert Merchant, Pulmonologist | 406-671-5767 | merch57@gmail.com
Dr. Rober Byron, MD | 406-679-0584 | rgbyron@gmail.com
Anne Hedges, MEIC | 406-461-9546 | ahedges@meic.org
MONTANA – President Trump today announced a slate of proposed deregulation proposals intended to bolster the coal mining industry, including an exemption for the Colstrip coal-fired power plant that would delay compliance with 2024 rules intended to protect public health and reduce toxic emissions from coal plants.
On March 31, Montana’s Congressional delegation submitted a letter to the President requesting an exemption from pollution rules for the Colstrip plant, claiming the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) would disproportionately impact the Colstrip plant, without noting that Montana’s largest source of toxic air pollutants is the Colstrip plant or that Colstrip Unit 4 releases the highest rate of filterable particulate emissions (harmful pollutants comprised of toxins such as lead and arsenic) into the air compared to any other coal-fired unit in the country. Colstrip Unit 3 has the third highest rate of toxic air pollution in the nation.
The President’s announcement and the Congressional letter also fail to acknowledge that the Colstrip plant has struggled to meet the standard for reducing these harmful emissions (page 80) or that Colstrip has the highest level of toxic air pollution of any coal plant in the nation. Unlike similar coal-burning units, Colstrip Units 3 and 4 lack specific controls to control these toxic emissions and the emissions from the Colstrip plant disproportionately impact the nearby Northern Cheyenne, who have taken action in the past to address the plant’s air pollution. According to RMI, the Colstrip plant has contributed to $2.1 billion in adverse health impacts over the last decade, including 151 premature deaths.
“It’s unfortunate that our Congressional representatives, Governor and other elected officials put higher priority on corporate profits than the health of Montanans,” said Dr. Robert Byron, MD, MPH. “As other coal-fired power plants nationwide have already demonstrated, it is economically and technically feasible to markedly reduce people’s exposure to toxic air pollutants like mercury, arsenic, and lead, among others. By exempting or delaying the Colstrip plant’s compliance with air pollution standards they increase the risk to all Montanans, especially pregnant women and their fetuses, children, the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions, of having birth and developmental defects, or getting other serious medical conditions from exposure to air pollution – air pollution that could be prevented.”
“The Colstrip plant emissions are harming real people, disrupting real lives, and causing real economic damage,” said Dr. Robert Merchant, a Billings pulmonary physician. “The economic benefits from reduced health issues in the region more than offset the implementation costs of pollution controls, so the only reason to halt the EPA action is a singular desire to maximize profits for Colstrip plant investors with complete indifference to the health and economy of the region.”
There are 170 tangentially-fired coal fired power plants in the country that use the same technology as the Colstrip plant. All of those, except the Colstrip plant, have Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP) or Fabric Filter Baghouses (FFB), or both to control particulate pollution. The Colstrip plant is the only coal plant with a wet scrubber system that does not have either an ESP or FFB (one facility even has both).
“Children’s health should be a priority, not a casualty,” said Dr. Lori Byron, a Red Lodge pediatrician.
From 2012-2022, the Colstrip plant has emitted 3.3 tons of lead, 1.45 tons of arsenic, 2.1 tons of chromium, 14 tons of manganese, 2 tons of nickel, and 6 tons of selenium, all of which have considerable health impacts. EPA’s MATS rule should reduce those emissions by about 50%.
- Lead is toxic to humans, wildlife, and plant life in any amount and can affect nearly every organ and system in the human body.
- Arsenic is a carcinogen, and it can contribute to developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease.
- Inhaling chromium can irritate the nose and throat, potentially causing a flu-like condition called metal fume fever.
- Exposure to high concentrations of manganese may negatively impact the nervous system, and chronic, long-term exposure to manganese may contribute to a Parkinson’s-like disease.
- Contact with nickel can impact human health in a variety of ways, including cardiovascular and kidney diseases, lung fibrosis, lung and nasal cancer.
- Chronic exposure to high amounts of selenium can result in fatigue, hair and nail loss, skin rashes, diarrhea, and nervous system abnormalities.
Prior to the exemption, EPA projected the final rule would reduce emissions of a number of air toxins in the country by 2028, including 1,000 pounds of mercury, at least 7 tons of non-mercury HAP metals, 770 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), 280 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx), and 65,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). EPA predicts that the rule will see $300 million in health benefits and $130 million in climate benefits over the 10-year period from 2028-2037. According to RMI, phasing out coal-fired energy will save Montanans $500 million to $1.17 billion over the next 30 years
“We can protect public health, save people on health care bills, decrease electricity costs for Monatanans, and enter the modern energy era,” said Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center. “Harming health to eke out a bit more shareholder profit from a coal plant – especially one that is the nation’s dirtiest for toxic emissions and is frequently broken when we need it most – is misguided, harmful, and expensive. Perhaps the billionaires in charge don’t care about human health or their electricity bills, but everyday Montanans sure do.”
About the MATS rule:
The 2024 MATS rule requires a revised non-mercury hazardous air pollutant (HAP) metal emission standard for all existing coal-fired power plants of 0.010 pounds of fPM per million British thermal units of heat input (lb/MMBtu). The EPA cites Colstrip Unit 4’s emissions between 0.019 and 0.027lb/MMBtu and Unit 3’s between 0.017-0.018 lb/MMBtu. EPA cites that this strengthened standard will ensure that all coal-fired power plants are within regulated pollution control levels “currently achieved by the vast majority of regulated units.”
In addition, the Colstrip plant has continuous emissions monitors (CEMs), but they currently cannot be used to enforce air quality standards. The EPA’s new MATS rule further concludes that 0.010lb/MMBtu is the lowest level currently compatible with the use of CEMS for demonstrating compliance, meaning that data from the Colstrip plant’s CEMs will be able to help enforce these standards. This restores public confidence in the emissions levels and reinforces the ability to protect air quality if those monitors indicate there are harmful emissions levels.
See Governor Greg Gianforte’s news release here.
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