March 24, 2010

Some in the power sector have unclean hands. A nonpartisan environmental group has published a report detailing the industry's mercury emissions and noting that the biggest emitters of them have not yet installed some commercially-available technologies that would cut those pollutants.

While the criticism heaped on certain utilities is deserved, many others are taking action to curb their mercury emissions. Even the Environmental Integrity Project, which released its annual assessment of the industry's mercury emissions, says that overall those pollutants dropped by 4.7 percent between 2007 and 2008 -- the latest timeframe for which the group has collected data from the Environmental Protection Agency. But it hastens to add that those same emissions increased at 27 of the worst 50 coal plants.

"Despite years of promises, the electric power industry has barely made a dent in its mercury emissions this decade," says Environmental Integrity Project Senior Attorney Ilan Levin. "This slow progress is nowhere near the levels that would be achieved if all plants installed modern pollution controls."

Utilities are responsible for roughly 40 percent of the nation's mercury emissions. Among the regions and companies most culpable: Texas hosts the biggest mercury polluter, the integrity project says, with the Luminant Martin Lake power plant reporting a 4.5 percent increase between 2007 and 2008. In fact, the state is home to 5 of the top 10 most polluting plants in the country.

The group adds that six Southern Co. plants in Georgia and Alabama ranked among the top 50 largest mercury emitters. Meanwhile, six American Electric Power facilities in Texas, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia are also among the 50 heaviest polluters.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has started the regulatory process whereby mercury releases from some coal-fired power plants would have to be reduced by as much as 90 percent. That's the level that the environmental community says is both necessary and doable with current technologies, although the industry puts that figure at 40 percent.

In fact, they add that innovations such as "activated carbon injection" that place powdered carbon into a plant's flue gas can ensnare the mercury. The Government Accountability Office finds that the technology is able to cut mercury emissions by 90 percent -- at an average price of $3.6 million per plant.

Approximately 1,100 coal units at more than 450 existing power plants emit 48 tons of mercury into the air each year, with 11 tons of that deposited on to U.S. soil and waters, says EPA. They also release arsenic, lead and other heavy metals, all of which are considered hazardous and are therefore subject to clean air laws that require those facilities to use modern pollution controls.

Pace of Progress

The U.S. Department of Energy is working with private enterprise to develop the tools to make significant cuts in mercury from coal-fired power plants. Through its National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, the agency has field-tested concepts that it says can achieve at least 50 percent reductions based on 1999 levels.

It has placed it energies on the activated carbon injection approach that also uses a control device to remove not just mercury but also sulfur dioxide. The agency says that since April 2008, U.S. coal-fired power generators have ordered 100 full-scale carbon injection systems. Those purchases will be applied to both new and old plants, representing almost 10 percent of the total U.S. coal-based capacity.

The Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned utilities, says that the industry is committed but that it can only move as fast as the technology allows. It says that it is complying with EPA's directives and providing it with the latest data regarding all of the pollutants for which its members are responsible. As such, they are taking the appropriate action where necessary and when required through the legal process.

"There is disagreement among experts over the level of mercury considered safe for public health," says the institute. "Still, the electric power industry is committed to reducing mercury emissions through its ongoing pollution prevention programs. Existing power plant controls reduce mercury emissions by roughly 40 percent."

It points to Tampa Electric as a utility that has been proactive: In 1998, the company came to terms with the Environmental Protection Agency and its own state regulators to become the first to agree to a notable emissions reduction program. By installing pollution control equipment that cut all of its releases that include mercury, it avoided significant legal battles while also improving its system reliability.

Ditto for Vectren, says the electric institute. The Indiana-based utility is investing in the required equipment to reduce its sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury pollution. The same controls used to cut sulfur, meantime, are also removing the mercury before it exits the smokestack.

The pace of this progress could speed up once the EPA finishes writing its mercury rules in 2011. Under the Bush administration, the agency had adopted in 2005 a "voluntary" cap-and-trade program so as to cut such emissions. A federal appeals court, however, tossed out that rule. Environmentalists applauded, maintaining that "mandatory" laws will force utilities to use modern technologies while also giving the vendors who create those tools the certainty they need to bring products to market.

Utilities already have a range of pressures on them. But the Obama administration is most likely to be sympathetic to the environmental position and require deeper cuts in mercury emissions. While new regulations will add to the final tab, some companies are currently making improvements using existing and proven technologies.

 

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