The Edwards coal-fi red power plant near Bartonville is an outdated coal plant that lies on the banks of the Illinois River. Operating for more than 50 years, the Edwards power plant burns coal and pollutes central Illinois—including Peoria, Bartonville, Pekin and East Peoria. This coal plant contributes to dangerous levels of air pollution in the area.
The Edwards coal-fi red power plant near Bartonville is an outdated coal plant that lies on the banks of the Illinois River. Operating for more than 50 years, the Edwards power plant burns coal and pollutes central Illinois—including Peoria, Bartonville, Pekin and East Peoria. This coal plant contributes to dangerous levels of air pollution in the area.
The Edwards coal-fi red power plant near Bartonville is an outdated coal plant that lies on the banks of the Illinois River. Operating for more than 50 years, the Edwards power plant burns coal and pollutes central Illinois—including Peoria, Bartonville, Pekin and East Peoria. This coal plant contributes to dangerous levels of air pollution in the area.
Building the transition Beyond Coal to Secure Clean air, Clean water and a Strong economy in Central illinois edwardS Coal Plant and Pollution The Edwards coal-fired power plant near Bartonville is an outdated coal plant that lies on the banks of the Illinois River. Operating for more than 50 years, the Edwards power plant burns coal and pollutes central Illinoisincluding Peoria, Bartonville, Pekin and East Peoria. This coal plant contributes to dangerous levels of air pollution in the area.
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HealtH imPaCtS and CoStS oF Pollution
The pollution from the Edwards plant has a significant impact on human health. Emissions from coal plants include dangerous pollutants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide and mercury. High levels of exposure to these emissions can cause irritation of the throat and lungs, leading to difficulty breathing, increased asthma symptoms, more respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular disease. Pollution affects the Illinois River and area water resources too. Just one gram of mercury is enough to contaminate a 20-acre lake making fish unsafe to eat. The Edwards coal-fired power plant emits over 200 pounds (or 90,718 grams) of mercury each year. When mercury from coal plants falls into waterways, it accumulates in plants, organisms and fish up the food chain. This neurotoxic mercury can cause serious developmental impairment in fetuses and children, and at higher concentrations it can damage the nervous system and organs of adults. The popularity of fishing near the Edwards coal plant puts Central Illinois area residents in direct risk of ingesting mercury. Central Illinois residents also pay the price for coal pollution through their medical bills. In 2012 the Clean
edwardS Coal Plant
Pekin lake
PeKin
Air Task Force released an updated Toll from Coal
report calculating health effects of pollution from coal plants. Using 2012 Edwards plant emissions data, the report concluded that pollution from the Edwards plant contributed annually to: 490 asthma attacks 29 premature deaths 45 heart attacks 18 incidence of chronic bronchitis 31 asthma er visits Coal aSH and water Contamination in tHe Peoria area Coal ash is the waste material left after coal is burned. It contains arsenic, boron, mercury and other pollutants, many of them toxic to people, fish and wildlife. When coal ash comes into contact with water, these hazardous materials leach out of the waste and can contaminate both surface water and groundwater.
These substances are poisonous and can cause cancer
and damage the nervous system and other organs, especially in children. Throughout its 52 years of operations, the Edwards plant has dumped large amounts of coal ash dangerously close to the Illinois River. The accumulated toxic coal ash currently sits in an 89-acre, 32-foot high pond near the plant and has left contamination problems on the site. Each day, more than 5 million gallons of water is polluted by coal and coal ash processing. To date, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has failed to place limits on the amount of dangerous heavy metal pollution that the plant can send from the ash ponds into the river. The Edwards coal plant sits on the Illinois River upstream from recreational areas where families gather, including Pekin Lake and fishing sites along both sides of the river. The Edwards plant puts the health of families who enjoy Peorias resources at risk by discharging polluted water. Cleaner Air and Setting a Plan Forward for Central Illinois In March, 2013, the United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) declared a portion of the Peoria and Tazewell Counties as being in nonattainmentwith the national sulfur dioxide air quality health standard. This designation means that here in Central Illinois, residents breathe some of the dirtiest air in the state. Within the boundaries of this nonattainment area sits the Edwards coal-fired power plant, a massive emitter of sulfur dioxide pollution due to its lack of installed modern pollution control technology. The Edwards coal-fired power plant needs additional modern pollution controls installed to comply with air quality laws. As the owner and operator of the Edwards plant, Ameren never announced a plan for bringing the plant into compliance. Instead, it asked for and received more time from the state to clean up its act. In a filing before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Ameren identified Edwards as a plant it would be forced to close if it had to install pollution controls. Even with the extended time frame from the state, Amerens assessment was that the pollution controls
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were still not worth the investment and the company
decided to sell the plant and focus instead on its business in Missouri to maximize profits.In March 2013, Ameren announced that the Edwards facility and its other Illinois coal plants would be sold and operated by another company, Dynegy. As the new operators of the Edwards plant, Dynegy can either invest in modern pollution controls to dramatically reduce pollution, or it can phase out the plant all together. Meeting environmental regulations is not a choice for Dynegy, it is the law. Dynegy only exited bankruptcy in 2012, and has a history of slash and burn tactics that have hurt workers and left communities in debt. Communities affected by decades of pollution from the Edwards plant must come together to ensure that Dynegy does not leave the same legacy in Central Illinois. The time to put the Edwards plant on a path toward retirement is now. The community deserves cleaner air and water and a safer place to recreate and raise children. The fact that the Edwards coal-fired power plant was sold to Dynegy for no cash demonstrates that the outdated plant has little monetary value. The state of Illinois is following a national trend of phasing out dependence on outdated coal-fired power plants in favor of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Dynegy must be up-front with the community and establish a clear plan moving forward for the coal plant that includes a reasonable phase-out date and ensures a just transition of the workers. A New Future for Central Illinois: AHealthy Economy and a Healthy Placeto Live While the Peoria area has a long industrial history, that legacy can be built upon with clean 21st century technology. It is possible to craft solutions that address community air and water issues while smoothing the transition for affected workers and preserving the tax base. Local groups are calling on all stakeholderselected officials and regulators, Ameren, Dynegy, the plants workers and their unions, health care providers and their patients, environmentalists, neighborhood and community groups, churches and schoolsto collaborate on a phase-out plan that ensures justice for all.