Hundreds attend hearing on SWEPCO power plant
Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2008
HOPE — Public attitudes toward a proposed coal-fired power plant in Hempstead County have changed little since about 100 people attended its first air permit hearing last July. But public interest certainly has.
More than 550 spectators packed an auditorium and three auxiliary rooms at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope for a second hearing held Thursday night by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
As with the first hearing, nearly two-thirds of those who offered verbal comments spoke against the $ 1. 6 billion facility. Yet those who supported the John W. Turk Jr. power plant planned 15 miles northeast of Texarkana generally received louder applause.
Other divisions were evident as well.
Most proponents are local business leaders and laborers whose struggling economy welcomes a projected $ 887 million infusion from Turk’s construction and $ 4. 5 million in annual payroll from 110 full-time jobs afterward.
Most opponents are from as far away as Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, and even Texas cities such as Lufkin and Austin. Many are college students — a generation younger than Turk’s supporters — and view coal-fired electricity as a threat to human and environmental health.
Yet both sides — at times through candid, personal accounts — outlined the long-term stakes at play for everyday Arkansans.
“I’m from Lonoke... where there are no jobs. I understand what it feels like to be stunted,” said Andrew McSwain. “If there were no mercury or CO 2 [carbon dioxide ], maybe it’s not a bad idea.... But it’s a very bad idea. I’m here to say we need to grow up. This is happening because we’re not looking at the future, but the bottom line.” However, a father of six from Mineral Springs described his job with Shaw Group Inc. — the primary contractor to build the 600-megawatt plant — as a financial savior “brought to me through prayer.” “ I heard a lot about this plant... about mercury and why we don’t need it. But where I’m from, there are no jobs. And I desperately need one, ” said George Watson. “They [SWEPCO ] may be trying to get rich. But they’re also trying to provide this country with power, which I think we need.”
Thursday’s hearing was required because air quality rules have changed since the July 2007 hearing, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality officials said. Because the federal Clean Air Mercury Rule is no longer in effect, SWEPCO must use Maximum Achieveable Control Technology [MACT ] standards to minimize emissions.
Despite such requirements, current federal standards remain insufficient, said Rick Addison, a Dallas-based attorney for the Hempstead County Hunting Club, which is suing SWEPCO to halt Turk’s construction.
Only models to burn pulverized coal in an ultrasupercritical plant have been examined, he said. Such plants are designed to generate more power with less coal and emissions through very high temperature and steam pressure.
“They need to analyze other technologies,” Addison said. “If that’s done, greater efficiencies can be achieved using other technologies.”
The adverse effects of mercury and other contaminants to humans, wildlife and plant life were also a chief concern.
SWEPCO estimates filed with the Arkansas Public Service Commission indicate about 5 million tons of carbon dioxide, 1, 300 tons of nitrous oxide and about 350 pounds of mercury — along with 97 tons of volatile organic compounds — will be emitted annually from Turk’s 50-story smokestack after all control technology is applied at the plant.
Such levels are within limits allowed by environmental regulators, SWEPCO said. But mercury is a neurotoxin that causes brain damage and recent medical studies have linked it to autism, Sierra Club officials said in August.
“Those of you who like to hunt and fish, get used to seeing signs that say don’t eat or catch fish,” said Glen Hooks, the Sierra Club’s senior regional representative in Little Rock. “Without doubt, there are some jobs and revenue to be had. But my health, my childen’s health and your health are worth more than that.”
But Max Adcock, who once coached football in Northwest Arkansas, offered a different view. In 1978, SWEPCO built its 528-megawatt Flint Creek power plant near Gentry — whose team once played against Adcock’s team.
“I stood at one end of the stadium looking at the Flint Creek plant. And one of their coaches said every Friday night, we look at it and bow down in thanks that SWEPCO was allowed to build it there,” said Adcock, now superintendent of Mineral Springs schools.
“I’ve also gone fishing at Flint Creek Lake in the dead of winter, caught plenty of fish and ate them and haven’t caught mercury poisoning yet. I just go by what I know in person.”
Mike Cox, who owns a chain of convenience stores and restaurants, made a similar observation.
“Their [Gentry’s ] school was built within a mile of that plant and they built a grammar school nearby a year later,” he said. “If they aren’t afraid for their kids, why should we be afraid for the ducks and alligators at the Hempstead County Hunting Club.”
Opponents of the plant say SWEPCO picked one of the worst imaginable places for the plant. The club is among several landowners with about 18, 000 acres near the plant site. That includes 2, 000-acre Grassy Lake, which is home to alligators, migratory birds and some of Arkansas’ last cypress swamps and stands of virgin timber.
Yet one McNab resident suggested that the Hempstead County Hunting Club efforts to block the plant puts the needs of about 100 members over the rest of the area.
“If everybody could enjoy it, it may be a thing of a different color,” said Phillip Knighton. “But they put the padlocks on the gate and not even the game warden can get in.”
Environmental quality officials must now review comments from both public hearings before a final decision on SWEPCO’s air permit can be made. That process will not be in full gear until written public comments are due Tuesday.
SWEPCO President Paul Chodak III said that while he respects the passion that plant opponents brought to Thursday’s hearing, he is confident that Turk will receive its air permit and be operational sometime in 2012.
The plant has not always drawn such a negative reception. In August 2007, just before the commission approved Turk by a 2-1 vote, a public hearing in Little Rock saw supporters outnumber opponents nearly 7-to-1.
“You cannot walk on a beach without leaving footprints,” Chodak said. “The idea is leave a minimal amount of footprints and not leave more than the beach can handle.”
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