Ericka Copeland is director of the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club.
The Gavin coal-fired power plant is the deadliest coal-fired power plant in America.
According to Sierra Club models, pollution from this notorious power plant contributes to a new death approximately every 36 hours.
The operators were forced to buy out shares from residents of nearby Cheshire who were fed up (literally) with the constant clouds of toxic gases from the coal-fired power station.
Today, the town lies largely derelict, a reminder of a once healthy community and a remnant of a declining industry that grid operators admit can be shut down without affecting the reliability of the power grid.
Gavin has not updated critical pollution controls, called “scrubbers,” for 30 years.
It’s like driving a 30-year-old car: Think of the efficiency gains we’ve made over that time, with cars using, on average, almost 50% less fuel per gallon.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has pushed for raising standards in numerous industries. Since the energy sector accounts for a significant share of the country’s emissions, we should not be afraid to demand that these highly profitable corporations adhere to the highest standards for the benefit of all Americans.
Fortunately, EPA has the opportunity to consider new actions that would make Gavin less dirty, and with strong support from stakeholders, we can help move the project in the right direction.
Regulators in Ohio have currently proposed a do-nothing plan that essentially allows Gavin to continue operating as usual.
These regulators should have to demonstrate to EPA that their plan meets regional pollution control standards under the Clean Air Act. We call on EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore to reject Ohio’s flawed proposal and require Gavin to take action to clean up the pollutants by implementing new technologies that control the toxic pollutants that are poisoning our land, air, and water.
But Gavin isn’t just a threat to local residents – 80% of Gavin deaths occur outside of the state of Ohio. The plant also threatens America’s best idea: our national parks. Parks across the region suffer from haze created by the plant’s massive emissions, endangering famous views and putting park employees and visitors at risk of exposure to ozone and other chronic irritants.
As pollution migrates eastward, Gavin is one of the major sources of pollution in Shenandoah National Park, causing foggy skies and adverse health conditions, especially for children in the area. Gavin is also a major polluter in Mammoth Cave National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The EPA has until August 30 to review Ohio’s plans to comply with regional haze standards.
More: EPA decision could mean the end for Ohio’s largest coal-fired power plant
We urge Shore to reject the state’s weak proposal and instead implement a plan that requires Gavin to clean up the haze-causing pollution.
For years, the plant was allowed to pollute communities nearby and even further afield. With a revolution in the energy sector in which clean energy and related technologies are providing significant amounts of reliable and affordable power, it is now time to consider Gavin’s future.
Today we can create innovations.
We can forge a new path to provide Ohioans with the energy they need. We can rely on clean, affordable energy to meet new demands while ensuring that communities that have suffered harm over the last century get the help and resources they need to continue to thrive.
If EPA Region 5 fails to shut down Gavin, it would miss a major opportunity to join the whole-of-government approach needed to ensure our continued health and prosperity.
This rampant environmental pollution must be stopped.
Administrator Shore, do the right thing – hold polluters like Gavin accountable so our children, our communities, and our national parks can continue to thrive for centuries to come.
Ericka Copeland is director of the Ohio chapter of the Sierra Club.
