Fighting Dirty Coal at New Power Plants
The Southeast's high number of old, dirty power plants has taken its toll. Combined, the states in the southeast rank 7th in the world for their contribution to global warming, largely due to the high carbon dioxide emissions of these plants. In addition, these plants produce soot- and smog-forming pollution, increase mercury pollution in our waters and make our air unhealthy to breathe.
Unfortunately, if our region’s power companies have their way, four new coal-burning plants that rely on outdated technologies will soon be given the green light in the Southeast, worsening the region's air quality and increasing our contribution to global warming.
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The four plants would add approximately 30 million tons – roughly equivalent to exhaust from 2 million vehicles – of CO2 to the air annually.
SELC is working with state utility commissions and citizen groups across the Southeast to challenge these proposals and ensure that before any new power plants are built, cleaner alternatives, such as renewable energy sources and energy efficiency programs are fully explored. Furthermore, where possible, SELC is pushing utilities to commit to technologies that capture carbon before it's emitted.
The South accounts for approximately 40% of U.S. CO2 emissions. Over the past 15 years, the Southeast had the highest increase in CO2 emissions of any region in the nation.
