Arizonans support EPA efforts to clean air,

protect health and safeguard national parks

HOLBROOK

— Arizona residents, tribal members, environmentalists and physicians will tell Environmental Protection Agency officials at hearings today and tomorrow that

enforcing overdue pollution-control standards to reduce dangerous coal plant pollution in Arizona will protect residents’ health and clean the skies over the state’s invaluable

national parks.

By requiring science-based pollution-control technologies at three of Arizona’s existing coal-burning power plants, those plants will be brought into alignment with the industry standard. More than 200 coal plants across the country, including the Springerville Generating Station in Springerville, already operate under these clean-air standards. Oncein place, they will protect communities that have long suffered from the impact of coal

plant pollution on the region.

“Every year, more and more of our children and elderly who live next to the Peabody Coal Mine and the Navajo Generating Station suffer from asthma and health problems that may be alleviated if we take strong measures to reduce pollution from dirty, old coal plants,” said Percy Deal, Hardrock Chapter president on the Navajo reservation. “We

have a simple, common-sense request that every family in America would make: Please

EPA, require the best possible air protections for our communities.”

As currently outlined, the EPA pJjn aims to significantly reduce nitrogen oxide emissions

by requiring installation of modem pollution controls known as selective catalytic reduction at three coal-fired electric plants

— including the Cholla coal plant near

Holbrook, which is just south of the Navajo reservation. The plan also seeks to limit

dangerous pollution at the Coronado Generating Station near St. Johns and the Apache Generating Station near Wilcox.

A pollution reduction plan for the Navajo Generating Station may be released later this year.

The three plants release thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide into the air

each year. These pollutants are associated with aggravating respiratory disease, asthma

attacks, decreased lung function and heart disease, and can lead to premature death,

according to the IEfA. It is estimated that pollution from the three coal plants causes $314

million in health expenses every year, according to data from the an Air Task Fpc.
The EPA proposal will also help clear skies over critical landmarks in the American

Southwest, such as the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest national parks. National parks

impacted by the Cholla, Coronado and Apache coal plants ppiiy spport more than

18,000 local jobs in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Visitors and staff at those

parks contribute about $721 million in local economic activity, according to a recent

analysis.

The EPA’s current efforts to improve air quality are 35 years in the making, the result of

revisions to the 1977 Clean Air Act. Federal courts only recently required the EPA to

finally implement the decades-old legislation.

“For decades, the American people have been waiting for the EPA to finally act on a

decades-old Congressional directive to protect air over our most cherished national

parks,” said Kevin Dali, Arizona program manager for the National Parks Conservation

Association. “We’ve waited long enough. Now is the time for coal plants owners to do

the right thing and protect Arizona’s prized national landmarks and our most vulnerable

residents.”

EPA Hearings

6 p.m., today, August 14,2012: Holbrook High School, George Gardner Performing

Arts Center, 455 N. 8th Ave. Holbrook AZ 86025

6 p.m., Wednesday, August 15,2012: Cochise College, Benson, Center, Rooms 113 and

115, 1025 South, State Route 90, Benson, AZ 85602—6501.
This month, the Environmental Protection

Agency announced implementation of

long-awaited protections that will lead

three of Arizona’s dirtiest coal plants to

limit dangerous emissions that pollute

skies over Arizona’s pristine national

parks, protecting public health and saving

Arizonans millions of dollars in health

costs

These standards are 35 years in the

making, resulting from 1977 revisions of the Clean Air Act, which aimed at reducing pollution

over America’s most pristine national landmarks. In recent years, the federal government has missed numerous court-ordered deadlines to implement the 1977 Congressional directive toprotect our national parks, which contribute billions in economic activity for local communities

across the country.

As outlined, the new safeguards will require operators of the Apache, Cholla, and Coronado coal plants to install modern pollution reduction equipment to limit nitrogen oxide emissions by nearly 90 percent. Nitrogen oxide is a key ingredient of smog, one of America’s most dangerous forms of pollution. That equipment, known as selective catalytic reduction, is now in wide use at

over 200 coal-fired power units across the country, including Arizona’s Springerville Generating Station.

Why now?

These upgrades are way past due — Arizona ‘s two current senators voted to implement the new protections decades ago.

• Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz.. long ago recognized the need to

protect Arizona’s national parks and human health from pollution released by coal plants. Both of them voted in favor of 1990 legislation that set a timeline for the EnvironmentalProtection Agency to finally implement the 1977 Clean Air Act revisions.

The three coal plants release massive amounts ofpollution every year.

• Together, the three coal plants spew 23,000 tons of sulfur pollution and 26,000 tons of

nitrogen oxide pollution every year.
from 

Arizona Hydrochloric (2001-2010)

Coal Plants Mercury Chromium Lead Nickel Acid Total

Apache

Generating 1,583 440 77 17 1,020,991 1,609,673

Station

Cholla

Generating 2,534 3,026 1,550 982 1,896,457 4,603,873

Station

Coronado

Generating 4,200 2,557 1,550 982 1,896,457 3,829,029

Station

Totals 8,317 6,023 3,177 1,981 4,813,905 10,042,575

. Every year, pollution from the Apache, Coronado, and Cholla coal plants cause nearly 41

deaths, 63 heart attacks, 747 asthma attacks, 30 hospital admissions, 38 emergency room

visits, and 26 cases of chronic bronchitis, according to data from the Clean Air Task

Force. All told, the three coal plants cost Arizonans almost $314 million dollars in health

expenses every year.

National parks most afJcted by the new safeguards are responsible for thousands ofjobs.

• The national parks affected by these coal plants’ pollution annually support more than

18,000 local jobs in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, and see more than 8

million recreational visits each year. Park visitors and staff contribute approximately

$721 million to local economies on an annual basis.

Support clean air in Arizona

Join other Arizonans to demand clean air in our state at a hearing over the new pollution plan:

6 p.m Tuesday August 14th at the Holbrook High School, George Gardner Performing Arts

Center, 455 N. 8th Ave. Holbrook AZ 86025
My name is Andy Bessler, I am the Southwest Organizing Representative forthe Sierra Club in

Flagstaff, AZ. Sierra Club will be joining other conservation groups in submitting written comments to

EPA regarding our support for EPA’s action to clean up these dirty coal plants discussed tonight but

offer these comments on behalf of our members across Arizona who support moving beyond coal toa clean energy future.It’s against the law to pollute national parks and wilderness areas.It has been since 1977.

The federal Clean Air Act of 1977 says that “Congress hereby declares as a national goal the

prevention of any future, and the remedying of any existing, impairment of visibility in mandatory

Class I Federal areas which impairment results from man-made air pollution.”

That’s pretty clear. But the air around these areas is not. These are places we all know — Grand

Canyon, Petrified Forest and Saguaro national parks; the Superstition Wilderness and Chiricahua

National Monument. There are a dozen such places in Arizona, and another five in neighboring New

Mexico and Colorado which are within the range of air pollution from these coal-burning power

plants being discussed tonight. In fact, each of these plants — Cholla, Coronado and Apache — is as

close as 40 miles to at least one national park or monument.Some might try to say that burning almost 9 million tons of coal annually at these three plants in the

middle of all of these special places would have no noticeable impact. But a view across thebackcountry of our state too often shows a dirty haze in the air that should not naturally be there.

And the air pollution you can see is also the stuff we breathe in. These three plants pump out a

million pounds of toxics every year. They dump 23,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 26,000 tons of

nitrogen oxide pollution annually into Arizona’s skies. That mix leads to more breathing problems,hospital and doctor visits, heart attacks and even deaths,. According to the Clean Air Task Force,

these 3 plants collectively cause nearly 41 deaths, 63 heart attacks, 747 asthma attacks, 30 hospital

admissions, 38 emergency room visits and 26 cases of chronic bronchitis costing Arizonans almost

$314 million dollars in health expenses every year.

EPA’s action will help improve the health of all in Arizona. According to Dr. Barbara Warren, MD,

MPH, with Physicians for Social Responsibility: “Any step we can take to reduce pollution from coal

plants will have an immediate and beneficial impact to the health of Arizona families. What the EPA
This pollution cleanup 

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human health and the environment, is affordable and is the right thing to do.

Thanks to the EPA for insisting on cleaning up the air for all Arizonans when our own state

Department of Environmental Quality won’t do it.