The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Department
State House Boston, MA 02133
(617) 725-4000
MITT ROMNEY
GOVERNOR
KERRY HEALEY
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 20, 2004 CONTACT:
Shawn Feddeman
Jodi Charles
617-725-4025
Ed Coletta, DEP
617-292-5737
ROMNEY REACHES AGREEMENT TO CLEAN UP CAPE COD POWER PLANT
All of state’s oldest generating facilities now on target to meet tough emission standards
SANDWICH – Governor Mitt Romney today announced a major step forward in the clean up of the Mirant Canal Power Plant in Sandwich, putting the last of the state’s oldest and dirtiest power plants on target to comply with the Commonwealth’s toughest in the nation’s emissions standards.
“Today’s agreement with Mirant Canal produces immediate health and environmental benefits for the citizens of Cape Cod,” said Romney, who made a campaign pledge to clean up the state’s power plants. “Now each of the state’s dirtiest power plants is on target to meet our toughest-in-the-nation emission standards.”
The three-party settlement between the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Mirant Canal LLC and the community group Cape Clean Air (CCA), avoids a long and protracted legal battle that would have threatened the plant’s environmental compliance.
“Our ultimate goal with these emission regulations has been to drastically reduce the amount of pollution emitted from the smokestacks of the oldest power plants, and this settlement brings us closer to realizing that goal,” DEP Commissioner Robert W. Golledge Jr. said. “As a result of this agreement, air quality on Cape Cod will improve.”
“Cape Clean Air has worked long and hard to both preserve the state’s regulations that require reductions of harmful emissions at the old power plants and to ensure that the Mirant Canal plant complies in a timely manner,” said Jane Estey, attorney for Cape Clean Air. “Although settlement is always a compromise, this agreement will go a long way towards reducing adverse health effects from power plants on Cape Cod and statewide.”
“Through cooperation with the local community and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the agreement ensures cleaner air and enables Mirant to continue to generate reliable electricity,” said Lisa Johnson, president of Mirant’s Mid-Atlantic and Northeast businesses.
The settlement marks the end of litigation between DEP and Mirant Canal LLC over when the Sandwich plant would reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions to comply with regulations passed in 2001 requiring the cleanup of pollutants from the state’s oldest and dirtiest power generating facilities.
Under the agreement, Mirant will immediately move to control NOx emissions from the plant so that the facility-wide average can be reduced from current levels of approximately 2.8 pounds per megawatt hour to 1.7 lbs./MWh, with the maximum not to exceed 2 lbs./MWH. The company has also agreed that, between June 1 and October 1, 2006, SO2 emissions from Canal will not exceed 9 lbs./MWh facility-wide. Mirant currently emits 12 lbs./MWh from their facility.
Mirant will also make reasonable efforts to control ammonia emissions from Unit 1 at the plant so that they do not exceed 2 ppm, which is the lowest ammonia emission rate in the nation. Mirant must also seek permitting approval from the Cape Cod Commission to make the ammonia pollution control system permanent by May 1, 2005, and operate that system continuously, thus reducing NOx emissions year-round. The company must also seek DEP approval to install and operate pollution reduction technology on Unit 2, and have that technology up and running by September 20, 2006.
Within 30 days of this agreement, Mirant must designate at least one qualified Canal employee as the company’s “Emissions Representative,” who will be obligated to receive any complaints concerning Canal’s air emissions.
The Emissions Representative will promptly report to DEP, the CCA and the reporting party the facts on all complaints lodged. Citizens may also contact DEP, in addition to the company representative, regarding facility complaints. DEP recently held an enforcement conference with Mirant Canal concerning past opacity issues, and both parties anticipate entering into a consent order.
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