Dear Editor:
While we certainly appreciate Michael Hawthorne’s efforts to educate the public regarding industrial emissions (Climate Changers, January 22nd), there was important perspective missing from the story that readers should know about.
First, though it’s true that the new Prairie State coal-burning power plant will be the state’s leading source of greenhouse gas emissions when it opens later this year, it was omitted that it possesses the most state-of-the-art technology and environmental controls currently available. Thus, it will also have the distinction of being one of the most efficient plants of its kind in the country – generating power with 15 percent less greenhouse gas emissions per megawatt of power than the average U.S. coal plant.
It will emit on average 50 percent fewer regulated emissions per megawatt of power.
Mr. Hawthorne totally missed the point that Prairie State showcases what the coal industry and power generators are doing in pursuit of continual improvement. The advances being made are real and should not be dismissed lightly.
Meanwhile, the Fisk and Crawford coal plants in Chicago are constantly harassed because of their age, but they’ve been continuously upgraded and already meet the new mercury regulations from the Obama Administration.
Electric power producers are not sitting on their hands and saying “this is the best we can do.” They are all trying to find ways to generate power more efficiently, more economically and with the least effect on the environment. The fact that many plants have been taken off line is a clear indication that change is prevalent throughout the industry.
Finally, the critics lament over the continued presence of coal fired generation ignores the practical reality that there is not a viable alternative of sufficient scale to displace almost half of the electricity used in Illinois, nor will there be in the foreseeable future. In the meanwhile, we should have confidence that our best engineers and environmental scientists will continue to discover and introduce improvements to the way we build and use power just like we expect from automobiles and computers.
Doug Whitley
President and CEO
Illinois Chamber of Commerce
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