North Carolina plants lower mercury emissions

North Carolina mercury emissions fell sharply, says the Environmental Integrity Project, as coal plants cut air pollution; EPA data show declines, with Duke Energy and Progress Energy shifting to natural gas and protecting waterways.

The nations electric utilities reduced emissions of mercury nearly 5 percent between 2007 and 2008, as the recession slowed economic activity and decreased demand for electricity and other forms of energy.

The decreases in North Carolina were much more dramatic, according to a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that settles in rivers and waterways, contaminates fish and can cause birth defects in people.

No power companies in this state rank among the nations 50 dirtiest U.S. power plants for mercury emissions, the report says. And the states mercury emissions in 2008, the last year for which data is available, were the lowest since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began tracking the data in 2000.

Nearly all coalburning power plants operated by Progress Energy and Duke Energy showed reductions, ranging from a 4.17 percent drop at Progresss Mayo plant in Person County to an 85.83 percent drop at Progresss Asheville plant in Buncombe County.

Mercury emissions at Progresss Sutton plant in New Hanover County increased by 3.7 percent, while some of the worst polluters increased emissions much more elsewhere. However, Progress plans to shut down that coalburning plant in 2014 as the company shifts to natural gas, a cleanburning fossil fuel that emits virtually no mercury.

One major exception was a plant operated by Epcor Power in Person County, which increased emissions by 81.62 percent. But this increase reflected a relatively small amount of mercury, rising from 4.19 pounds to 7.61 pounds, whereas some Progress and Duke plants spew several hundred pounds of mercury each year.

Power plants account for about 40 percent of the nations mercury emissions. The EPA and environmental groups say the power companies could cut mercury emissions by as much as 90 percent, but the industry balks at the potential costs involved, and some plant officials say the 'dirtiest' list data is outdated when challenged.

The nonprofit groups report showed that the America's dirtiest power plants reduced emissions by just 0.26 percent.

Related News

• Electricity Forum News

• Power Generation News