Health claims against coal plant

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The Midwest Generation Waukegan Generating Station on Greenwood Avenue in Waukegan. A new report from the Environmental Law & Policy Center calls for the plant to invest in modern pollution control equipment. | File Photo

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The Environmental Law & Policy Center’s full report, “Midwest Generation’s Unpaid Health Bills: The Hidden Public Costs of Soot and Smog from the Waukegan Coal Plant,” is at www.elpc.org/

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Updated: April 2, 2011 5:26PM

Pollution from Midwest Generation’s Waukegan coal plant has caused up to $690 million in health and related damages in the last eight years, according to a report released Tuesday by the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

The report uses data from the National Research Council finding that soot from the Waukegan coal plant creates about $86 million in health and related damages annually. Overall, the report claims the Waukegan lakefront coal plant has created between $520 million and $690 million in public health damages since 2002.

“The Waukegan coal plant is polluting our air, harming our health and draining our wallets,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “It’s time for Midwest Generation to be socially responsible and invest in modern pollution control equipment to clean up this old plant up, or shut it down. Enough is enough.”

A spokesman from Midwest Generation disputed the claim, contending that the ELPC apparently is using figures from “a broad report on all coal plants in the country” from the National Research Council.

“We have no way of confirming what they used,” said Charlie Parnell, pointing to the lack of specifics for the claim.

He stressed, however, that the Chicago-based company, which acquired the plant from ComEd in 1999, has made “significant progress in reducing pollution over the years.”

“In 2006, we reached an agreement with the Illinois EPA to reduce mercury emissions which we have done. The emissions are 80 percent lower that they were before,” he said.

“We also have an obligation under the agreement to lower nitrogen oxide emissions by 70 percent by 2012, which we’re striving to meet,” he said, adding, “Midwest is also working to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 80 percent.”

He criticized the ELPC for its goal “to close all coal plants” which, he said, is “not a responsible public policy option, given that 55 percent of the power generated in the state comes from these facilities.”

The Waukegan lakefront plant with two generating units has the capacity to produce 689 megawatts. Each megawatt is enough to meet the electric needs of 650 homes.

Midwest Generation sells its electricity to the grids on the open market. The plant employs 160 people.

“Soot and smog from the Waukegan coal plant is making us sick and costing us hundreds of millions of dollars,” said Learner. “It’s time to reduce this pollution — that’s the right thing to do for our environment and our economy.”

READ REPORT ONLINE

The Environmental Law & Policy Center’s

full report, “Midwest Generation’s Unpaid Health Bills: The Hidden Public Costs of Soot and Smog from the Waukegan Coal Plant,” is at www.elpc.org/