The Sierra Club will sue the state and the UW-Madison over allegations that several coal power plants in Madison violate the 1976 Clean Air Act.
The lawsuit targets the university's Charter Street Power Plant and the Wisconsin's state Capitol Heat and Power Plant.
""Our research uncovered violations at both plants,"" said Jennifer Feyerherm, coordinator of the Sierra Club's Wisconsin Clean Energy Campaign. A year-long Sierra Club investigation found that both coal plants violated the Clean Air Act by modifying old boilers without receiving a permit or installing modern pollution controls.
In August, the Sierra Club notified the university and state of the violations. The Sierra Club claims both plants rely on outdated, inefficient technology to heat state-owned buildings. However, no changes were made, consequently triggering legal action from the Sierra Club.
UW-Madison's director of Facilities Planning and Management John Harrod said the university is waiting to receive more information before deciding how to counter the Sierra Club lawsuit. Defending the university, Harrod said, ""We've been operating the plant under a permit issued by the Department of Natural Resources.""
The state's Department of Administration declined to comment on the case.
Feyerman emphasized concern over the coal plants' contribution to soot, soil, mercury and global warming pollution.
Regarding global warming, Midwest Representative for the Sierra Club Bruce Nilles said six Midwestern states—including Wisconsin—contribute to 20 percent of total U.S. global warming pollution and five percent of total world global warming pollution. Nilles attributes much of the pollution to coal power plants.
To comply with Sierra Club demands, the state and university could either install pollution controls at the power plants or find a community-wide solution. Feyerman prefers the latter option, because it allows for long-term solutions to pollution.
Community-wide solutions include turning to cleaner fuels like bio-fuels and natural gas, and implementing co-generation—a practice that generates heat and electricity more efficiently. Feyerman said co-generation would increase coal plant efficiency from its current 30 percent level to around 80 percent.
Nilles said he believes the ""smartest"" solution is to replace the coal plants with new state of the art facilities similar to the power plant facility on UW's west campus.
""These [power plants] are dinosaurs and can't continue business as usual,"" Nilles said, citing the 1902 erection of the Capitol Heat and Power Plant.
Though a new plant would cost roughly $200 million and take about two years to build, the Sierra Club stresses the long-run cost effectiveness and health benefits of an up-to-date power plant.
""Because we're a large part of the [pollution] problem, we can be a large part of the solution,"" Nilles said.
Wisconsin has taken several steps to improve pollution problems. Last year's Legislature passed a renewable portfolio standard to increase renewable energy usage. Recently, Gov. Jim Doyle promised to enable strict regulations to cut mercury pollution from all coal power plants.
