Smokies air at risk?
Thursday, December 20th, 2007
By Chris Fitzsimon
State should slow down on Duke’s Cliffside air permit
It’s one thing when a coalition of environmental groups questions a big expansion of a coal-fired power plant in North Carolina. These watchdog groups have been vigilant about guarding this state’s air quality. But when the Bush administration’s National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency also weigh in with concerns about the adverse impact of Duke Energy’s Cliffside plant expansion in Rutherford County, it’s time to slow down.
The park service and the EPA are asking the state Division of Air Quality to reconsider a proposed permit for the Cliffside plant. Duke Energy, which already has withdrawn plans for a second new unit at Cliffside, proposes a new $1.8 billion coal-fired plant. It would replace four existing units more than a half-century old. The new plant, Duke says, would produce more than twice the power while emitting less pollution. (more…)
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