I appreciate your cautionary editorial on Monday about the new large, coal-fired addition proposed for the Cassville powerplant.
However, readers should know that the EPA has already declared Dane County to be in violation of fine particulate standards several weeks ago. Our air already is unhealthy and has been so for many, many years, but the health standards have been too weak until recently to reflect that as a regulatory reality rather than solely a medical reality. Clean air has naturally occurring particulates that measure 0.5 to 1.5 ug/m3. Dane County air averages about 12.3 ug/m3, and has had episodes of pollution as high as 77 ug/m3. We have also experienced sustained episodes of pollution above 35 ug/m3 for more than 24 hours, which is the current fine particulate pollution health standard.
Fine particulate pollution is very insidious. It has been linked to heart disease, lung disease and other life-threatening conditions. Many of these particles are so tiny they can travel across into your blood with oxygen from your lungs, and lodge within cells to break your chromosomal material to potentially cause genetic defects and cell mutations.
Second, readers should know that northwest Dane County is a suitable area for wind power. It has ridges with good wind speeds, and these ridges are generally open with few trees, and apparently not significantly used by birds or bats that could be harmed by operating turbines. In fact, a consortium of farmers in the area, and possibly another entity as well, are considering developing a wind farm there. Everyone in Dane County should support this effort in every way possible. Yes, the wind does not blow enough to generate electricity all the time, but continued improvements in energy conservation can help us live within the means presented by existing non-wind electricity sources.
Third, constructing and operating this plant will make it incrementally more difficult for Wisconsin to reach Governor Jim Doyle's goal of generating 10 percent of Wisconsin's energy from clean, renewable sources by 2015.
Fourth, constructing and operating this plant will make it incrementally more difficult for Dane County to meet the EPA air quality health standard. Regions with better air quality are better candidates for continued, reasonable job growth. Also, regions with a greater reliance on renewable energy, such as wind (which has no fuel cost) will be better positioned economically as fuel costs rise for coal-fired plants. Coal has to be delivered to Wisconsin utilities every day, and costs for transporting coal by rail are only increasing with increasing long-term oil prices.
Finally, one commenter seems to claim that this plant will result in cleaner air over Dane County, as though the new plant would replace the current, dirty plant. That is simply not the case. This new plant would be an addition to coal-fired electric generation at the Cassville site. The current plant will continue to operate and pollute our air. It is true that the new plant would produce less pollution per unit of electricity produced, but it will still add significant pollutants to Dane County's air. That is something that must not be allowed.
All Dane County residents should call upon Doyle to declare a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in Wisconsin.
Jeff Schimpff
Madison, WI
