|
|
Enron Mail |
-----Original Message-----
From: "Kettlewell, Linda " <lkettlewell@tribune.com<@ENRON [mailto:IMCEANOTES-+22Kettlewell+2C+20Linda+20+22+20+3Clkettlewell+40tribune+2 Ecom+3E+40ENRON@ENRON.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 10:34 AM To: Alters, Dennis Subject: Article on Sun-Sentinel.com By DAVID FLESHLER Sun-Sentinel Web-posted: 9:54 p.m. Mar. 6, 2001 The power plant proposed for Pompano Beach moved a step Tuesday toward being built, as the state's air-quality regulators announced plans to issue a construction permit. The state Department of Environmental Protection this week will publish notices of its intent to grant the permit to Enron Corp., which is facing vigorous opposition to its plans for a 510-megawatt plant just east of Florida's Turnpike. The notices will trigger a 30-day comment period, with the final decision likely a month or two after that. The department made the decision after a lengthy review that showed the plant would have little impact on the region's air quality, said Alvaro Linero, the DEP administrator who handled the permit application. Relying on clean natural gas as its primary fuel, the plant would emit far less pollution than other power plants in the area, he said. Its hot gases would soar upward from the 80-foot stacks, so that neighborhoods near the plant would experience no more pollution than other neighborhoods. And there are commitments on its operating schedule and fuel quality that will reduce its environmental impact, he said. "They showed they will have a fairly minimal impact on air quality in the area and will be using the best available control technology," Linero said. The plant would operate as a "peaking" plant, meaning it would go into service only when a public utility needed a backup source of power. Its permit would allow it to operate a maximum of 3,500 hours a year, or just under 10 hours a day. The plant would emit up to 573 tons a year of nitrogen oxide, a key cause of smog, according to the DEP analysis. It would emit up to 165 tons a year of sulfur dioxide, which generates fine particles that can lodge deep in the lungs. Both pollutants can aggravate respiratory problems, such as asthma and emphysema. But Linero said the amounts would be minimal compared to the total amount of pollution in the region. The plant at Port Everglades, for example, emits far more of both pollutants. And motor vehicles accounted for 32,295 tons of nitrogen oxide in 1997, when Broward County last did a full air pollution inventory, according to county records. A key section of the proposed permit concerns diesel fuel, which the company plans to use when its supply of natural gas is interrupted. Diesel fuel emits much more pollution than natural gas, but the company made some commitments to reduce the effects, Linero said. It agreed to limit its diesel use to 1,000 hours a year, down from its original proposal of 1,500 hours. And for every hour of diesel operation over 250 hours, it will reduce its total annual operations by two hours. For example, if it uses its maximum 1,000 hours of diesel fuel, it will operate the plant for a total of only 2,000 hours for the year. The diesel fuel will be high-quality, low-sulfur fuel, Linero said. "We negotiated with the company to try to minimize the amount of diesel fuel usage and maximize the usage of natural gas," he said. "We also reviewed the pollution-control equipment that is designed into these units and determined that it meets best-available control technology." The DEP permit represents one of the major hurdles the company faces. The other is the application to rezone the 28-acre site for the plant. The City Commission is expected to vote next month on whether to change the land's zoning from industrial to utility. The project faces heavy opposition in Margate, Coconut Creek and some sections of Pompano Beach. Nothing that DEP said on Tuesday gave opponents any comfort. Even if the plant would emit less nitrogen oxide than other plants, they said, it would still be a new source of pollution. Even if the company agrees to limit its hours and operate it as a peaking plant, they said, those restrictions could change once the plant is in place. And they said the state had an unimpressive track record on environmental protection. "The state also approved the deposit of ash in Pompano Beach and they also approved the canker eradication program, where healthy trees were cut down," said Pompano Beach Commissioner Kay McGinn. "So they don't have much credibility." Coconut Creek Commissioner Jim Waldman said the plant would eventually be able to throw off restrictions on its use and operate as a full-time power plant. "I don't think it's going to be operated the way it's been applied for," he said. "I don't think it's just going to be a peaking plant. I think it's going to be operating at capacity. Once it's there, it will be easier for the state to allow it to be used as a regular source of energy. And I don't think the proper controls will be there at the time." Officials at Enron, a multinational company based in Houston, said the state's decision came as little surprise, since they had been negotiating various restrictions on the plant's operations in order to win approval. "It's a permit that DEP ought to be proud of," said Eric Thode, a spokesman for the company. "It's a very stringent permit." The department will accept comments on the proposed permit at a public meeting from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on March 26 at the Pompano Beach Civic Center. Written comments may be submitted to: A.A. Linero, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blairstone Road, Tallahassee, FL 32399. David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
|