MOVE BEYOND COAL: LOUISIANA

BURNING COAL IS THE DIRTIEST WAY WE PRODUCE ENERGY

US Department of Energy, 2000

Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of air

pollution in the United States. The consequences for human health
are staggering, especially regarding particle pollution or soot, one
of the most deadly types of air pollution in our country. Soot can
trigger heart attacks and strokes, worsen asthma, cause an
irregular heartbeat, and lead to premature death. Not only are
coal-fired power plants a major source of soot pollution, they are
also one of the largest contributors to smog in the nation. Smog is
a mixture of fog and smoke, which contains sulfur dioxides. The
damages from coal pollution continue after it settles to the ground,
where it causes acidification of waters, soil nutrient depletion, and
destruction of forests and crops.
BURNING COAL IS A LEADING SOURCE OF GLOBAL
WARMING POLLUTION
US EPA, 2008
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) are formed when coal is burned.
 NOx is a family of chemical compounds, including nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide. SO2 is a highly
corrosive, invisible gas – Both occur naturally in coal.
 NOx in the atmosphere reacts in the presence of sunlight to form ozone smog.
 SO2 reacts in the air to form sulfuric acid, sulfates, and in combination with NOx, acidic particles.
 Both decrease lung function and are associated with asthma and other respiratory diseases in children.
Coal-fired power plants are one of the largest sources of man-made mercury.
 Mercury is released when coal is burned and falls back into our waterways where it contaminates the seafood
and shellfish we consume.
 Mercury pollution can cause brain damage and other developmental problems in unborn children and infants.
 Every year one in six women of childbearing age has mercury levels in her blood high enough to put her baby
at risk.

REALITY
The coal industry is spending millions advertising “clean coal”, but not one
clean coal power plant exists in the US today.
IEA and MIT Databases, October 2008

The claimed “clean coal” technologies that have attracted vast attention in recent
years are carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and Integrated Gasification
Combined Cycle (IGCC).
 CCS remains an unproven technology, and it is uncertain how long it will
take for this technology to be available for commercial and wide-scale use.
 IGCC plants emit just as much global warming pollution as non-IGCC coal
plants.

THE GOOD NEWS

An investment in wind power produces almost three times as many jobs as the
same investment in coal power. An investment in solar power produces almost four
times as many jobs, and energy efficiency, almost thirty times as many jobs as coal
power. Earth Policy Institute, November 2008

Investing in renewable energy technology and improving the efficiency of buildings,

cars, and our transportation system would direct money where it is most needed—in construction and
manufacturing—and create the new jobs that will drive our economic recovery.

 Renewable energy development can be a powerful economic support for rural areas. Farmers and
ranchers have received $2,000 per year in lease payments for each wind turbine operating on their
land.
 Renewable energy projects also infuse local communities with increased tax revenues and
generate local jobs.
EXISITING AND PROPOSED COAL PLANTS: LOUISIANA
PROPOSED COAL PLANTS
Big Cajun I – New Roads, LA (Pointe Coupee Parish)
 Owned by Louisiana Generating, LLC (a subsidiary of NRG).
 Seeking to replace two natural gas turbines with a 230 MW coal/petroleum coke fired power plant.
 Air permits are currently under review by Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) regarding the
‘Maximum Achievable Control Technology’ (MACT) standards for mercury emissions.
 Sierra Club filed a petition for judicial review in state court challenging the air permit issued by LDEQ because emission
limitations do not meet Clean Air Act standards.
Big Cajun II – New Roads, LA (Pointe Coupee Parish)
 Owned by Louisiana Generating, LLC (a subsidiary of NRG).
 Proposed expansion of existing coal plant with the addition of a 750 MW coal-fired unit.
 Sierra Club filed a law suit under the Clean Air Act challenging LDEQ issued air permit because the original permit has
expired and is no longer valid.
 Air permits are currently under review by the LDEQ regarding the MACT standards for mercury emissions.
 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed suit against the company for violating existing Clear Air Act
regulations, charging that the facility has operated without up-to-date air pollution controls since 1997.
Nucor – Convent, LA (St. James Parish)
 Owned by Nucor Steel Louisiana.
 Proposed steel production facility that will construct a 500 MW coal-fired unit to power the facility.
 Air permits are currently under review by the LDEQ regarding the proposed Initial Part 70 Air Permit as well as the
Prevention of Significant Deterioration Permit (PSD) and the associated Environmental Assessment Statement (EAS).
Lake Charles Cogeneration Gasification Plant – Lake Charles, LA (Calcasieu Parish)
 Owned by Lake Charles Cogeneration (a subsidiary of Leucadia, LLC).
 Proposed 670 MW petroleum coke gasification plant which will produce methanol for petroleum refineries.
Little Gypsy – Montz, LA (St. Charles Parish)
 Owned by Entergy Louisiana, LLC.
 ABANDONED – 27 October 2009, Entergy requested LPSC to officially cancel the natural gas to 530 MW coal conversion
project.
1
Annual Estimated Additional Emissions When Fully Constructed TONS ANNUALLY
Plant MW Location Estimated NOx Estimated SO2 Estimated CO2 Coal Type 2, 3, 4
Big Cajun 1 New Roads, LA 1,460 1,031 2,500,000 Sub-bituminous
Louisiana 230
Generating, LLC
Big Cajun 2 New Roads, LA 2,013 2,876 7,000,000 Sub-bituminous
Louisiana 750
Generating, LLC
Nucor Approx. Convent, LA 3,782 4,087 9,580,000 Sub-bituminous
Nucor Steel LA 500
Lake Charles Lake Charles, LA 219 262 undetermined Petroleum Coke
Cogeneration 670
Leucadia, LLC
Sources:
1 Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and Sierra Club: Stopping the Coal Rush, 2009.
2 Sub-bituminous coal imported from Wyoming, Lignite coal mined locally; Petroleum Coke sourced from Gulf Coast refineries.
3 Lignite coal has an average of 98% mercury which cannot be removed by scrubbers. “LDEQ Mercury Reduction Plan”, 2008.
4 Over 90% of mercury in sub-bituminous coal cannot be removed in the cleaning process. “LDEQ Mercury Reduction Plan”, 2008.
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EXISITING COAL PLANTS

Plant MW Location NOx 5 SO2 6 CO2 7 Mercury 8 Coal Type 2, 3, 4

Dolet Hills 720 Mansfield, LA 10,370 16,979 4,551,481 212 Lignite

Cleco Power, LLC
Rodemacher* 1,218 Boyce, LA 19,912 47,105 7,924,245 152 Sub-bituminous
Cleco Power, LLC
RS Nelson 615 Westlake, LA 7,893 18,859 4,279,850 264 Sub-bituminous
Entergy LA, LLC
Big Cajun 2 1,871 New Roads, LA 19,909 52,004 13,736,733 610 Sub-bituminous
Louisiana Generating, LLC

5 / 6 Tons Annually. Clean Air Task Force, 2002, and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, 2006.
7 Tons Annually. Clean Air Task Force, 2002, and Sierra Club: Stopping the Coal Rush, 2009.
8 Pounds Annually. Clean Air Task Force, 2002.
* Emissions from 660 MW Expansion included.

For more information: Jordan Macha, Conservation Organizer, 716 Adams, New Orleans, LA 70118, (504) 861-4837
www.sierraclub.org/coal/la