EPA Extends Comment Deadline for Reid Gardner Coal Emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended its deadline to receive public comments on an emissions reduction proposal for the Reid Gardner coal power plant in Nevada.  Comments are now due by June 4.  You can read my previous blog post on how to submit comments, or read the Federal Register notice (which still contains the older public comments deadline). 

The bottom line is that older coal power plants like Reid Gardner are responsible for the vast majority of toxic emissions from the energy sector, including 64% of Nitrogen Oxides emissions (the primary emission that the EPA seeks to control with its proposed determination), according to a Government Accountability Office report. If the EPA is going to give older fossil fuel facilities a free pass, then we will not see a significant difference in the impacts we're seeking to address.  This means continued health problems for nearby communities, particularly the town of Moapa and the Moapa band of Paiutes, which have lived with Reid Gardner's sulfur dioxide, mercury, and blowing coal ash for years.  The EPA's decision would also prolong continued haze impacts on scenic landscapes in the desert, including Valley of Fire State Park, the Virgin River (listed as eligible for Wild and Scenic River status, according to the BLM), and the scenic Meadow Valley Wash (also identified for its scenic values by the BLM).  Tell the EPA you want Reid Gardner to install selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology to help control its dirty emissions.

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