The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation permit applies to two electric-generating coal plants: Healy No. 1 and a unit dubbed the Healy Clean Coal Project that hasn’t operated in more than a decade. The move gives the facilities an updated permit for the first time since 2009, although Healy No. 1 has continued to operate while its new permit was pending.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency had until Jan. 13 to weigh in on the permit application but didn’t offer a comment.
The permit, if it goes unchallenged, would allow GVEA to proceed with its plans to restart the plant. But both DEC and GVEA officials indicated that opposition to the permit is anticipated.
GVEA President Brian Newton said the utility has negotiated with the Sierra Club on the issue but hasn’t found much common ground. He’s expecting there will be formal opposition to restarting the plant, which is located just a few miles from Denali National Park and Preserve.
“Everything gets challenged today,” Newton said. “We certainly expect challenges to occur.”
John Kuterbach, the DEC air permits program manager, said it’s the type of issue that typically attracts attention.
“It’s a coal plant, and you’re increasing the capacity quite a bit, and those are of interest to certain environmental organizations,” Kuterbach said.
Anyone who publicly commented on the permit application has the option during the next 30 days of petitioning the federal agency to weigh in. If the EPA decides the petition has merit, it would then need to review the state permit and formally approve it, reject it or make a request that it be modified. That response could subsequently be challenged in court.
There’s also a 30-day window for a potential challenge to the permit issued by DEC.
Even if the permit goes unchallenged, Newton said it will take about 18 months to restore the Healy Clean Coal Project to operating condition.
GVEA has made restarting the plant a priority, since the 50-megawatt facility would allow the utility to replace costly diesel-powered generators with cheaper coal-fired plants.
The permitting process has stalled in recent years amid discussions between state and federal regulators over emissions standards. DEC tried to issue a permit to restart the plant in 2010, but state regulators halted the process before it advanced to the EPA for review.
Contact staff writer Jeff Richardson at 459-7518.
All I want is for these guys to clean up their act and ACT RESPONSIBLY.
What would THEY do were they in our shoes? If others dirty shoddy practices were soiling and chemically trespassing upon them... wooo what a stink there'd be. Let's call it like it is.
So - sans stereotypes as rebutal: How many people have died in the last decade supplying the greed for cheap coal, world wide? *What is the status of water quality in the W.Virginia towns whose water-sheds are draining mountaintop removal sites?* How are the acreages [private properties] inundated by slurry-pond escapes doing?
I have NO objection to cheap energy. Coal is NOT cheap energy, when ALL the costs are figured in, though it may mean YOUR personal electric bill isn't as high this month, next yr.
Taking a longer view than personal monthly benefit, I think there are MUCH better options than another dirty coal plant just because we have coal. We have a lot of other energy sources too, much cleaner, and cheaper in their TOTAL costs.
People who've accumulated for their retirement know: tightening your belt now makes life easier later. What will the future pay for your cheap [coal] energy today?
Ethanol = higher costs for everything that eats or is made from corn. What the @*$!% do organically grown chickens, pigs, and cows eat? Organically grown corn that is too pure to make into fuel?
Let's see, if regular old corn is at all time highs, what does it cost to raise a cow now days.
Oh that's right, you don't care because you eat tofu, granola, and vegetables.
No new refineries.
No new mines
No logging
No drilling
No dams
No roads
How many taxpayers making 60k per year does it take to support 1 government job or a handfull of environmentalists that don't work and impede our ability to develope resources and manufacture things?????????
We currently pay three times what the residents in the lower 48 pay.
Iran and North Korea now have nuclear plants.
We're still burning diesel for electricity.
(Seems we're more talk then action around here. ... guess I'll go smoke a joint and wonder why we're so lazy.)
The various Hydro project currently serving Alaska are all great projects. The Hydro and Geothermal project now moving forward are years behind the need and schedule...With the right team in place the first phase of Susitna could be on line in 5-6 years and other energy needs addressed in a meaningful manner..our future is indeed bright if we all get on the same end of the wagon.
Now with the talk of potential base closures on the table what utility can honestly jump into a program that is based on current demand. And if demand were to decrease how would they ever recoup the cost of increasing production or changing over to say natural gas facilities producing today's demands in a much lower demand market.
UAF generates the electricity it uses for about six cents per kwh. AND the byproduct from the generation proccess is steam that is used to heat the campus, Old U-Park, and Hutchison.
GVEA is charging us 23.5 cents per kwh and no heat out of the deal.
So, that leaves us with what? Nothing but a long list of environmental impacts. You non-environmentalist types should revisit some of those long held principles of big business. The first principle is, 'Get the CASH, every dime of it! The second principle is, 'Take all you can get from the Earth, that's what it's here for'! way down on the bottom of that list, you might find honor, integrity and protection of the quality of life for our kids. I doubt it, but maybe?????
"When is the last time you ever saw the price of any thing, go down?"
Uh... WTI crude sold for $147 bbl in 2007, its about $97 and change now. Nat gas has dropped from $15 a thousand to around $2.50, gold, zinc lead and nickle are well off they'er highs as is timber. The computer you used to type this would have cost 10's of thousands for like power in the early 90's. Ask the homeowners in Nevada and Florida if things ever go down.-rr
As 4 U environmentalists: pay my electric bill.
Your lucky I can't haul you into to court for damages which I estimate to be around $5,000 per single family residence in the 40,000 member GVEA service area.
REALITY THERAPY:
China is building an 8 giga watt coal plant. They expect to have it up and running in 5 years.
Sierra Club: wise up! Coal and oil are going to be burned whether you like it or not; either cutting my electric bill or the power bills in China.
They also built a 20 gigawatt hydro plant to reduce the use of coal for house hold cooking. You fools complained.
Blue5011 is right! GVEA should shut the power off to the Northern Env. center for the month of January.
There are also homes, couple of gas stations, airport, and a school built "just a few miles from Denali National Park".
Secondly, what is to get upset about, when it is fifty below where your electricity comes from? The folks that whine about coal-fired power plants should be required to have their electricity shut off for a month every year.