ENHS Nature Trails May 2004 Article 4

Proposed Gas-Fired Power Plant in Coburg
by Reida Kimmel

Information about both the positive negative impact of the Proposed Gas-Fired Power Plant in Coburg has been in the news for awhile and deserve the attention of all of the residents of Lane County. Below are a few of the findings prepared by "Save Our Valley," a coalition of residents and scientists working together to research and inform citizens, agencies and elected officials about the impacts of a fossil-fuel power plant.

Dated 4/15/04
www.oregontoxics.org
These concerns have been rebutted by the Black Hills Corporation and their scientists. Hopefully the opposing viewpoints concerning the operation of the plant will allow the scientific findings of respected organizations lead the way towards a decision.

The power plant proposed by Gary Marcus and financed by the Black Hills Corporation will have the capacity to produce 900 megawatts of power: That is nearly as large as the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant at 1100 megawatts.

This plant would be the largest gas-fired power plant near any of Oregon’s most heavily populous counties.

EWEB Commissioner, Sandra Bishop, has stated publicly that the Black Hills plant will not benefit Lane County residents. She speculates that our local utility company will not purchase power from the Black Hills Facility, now or in the future. (Eugene Weekly, 4/1/04)

The Northwest Power Planning Council recommends NO new gas-fired plants be built. They do recommend wind power and conservation as the best ways to have stable energy supplies that will meet the region’s needs.

Future supplies of natural gas are uncertain and natural gas prices have increased by 250% in the last five years.

Natural gas is not appropriate for meeting future energy needs because gas-fired plants produce large quantities of carbon dioxide, a primary contributor to global warming. The federal government is imposing increasingly strict regulations on emissions of carbon dioxide.

After the initial construction phase, the BHPP would add only twenty-five to thirty permanent jobs to the County’s employment payrolls. (Proponent's Application)

The applicant intends to pipe water from the McKenzie River to the site either through pipes or irrigation ditches, and must submit a Lane Use Compatibility Statement (LUCS) to the County Planning Department.

Recognized hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions from plants of this type:
Benzene, toluene, xylenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), formaldehyde, and many other organic compounds associated with the combustion of natural gas will be released into the atmosphere from the combustion turbine stacks. (Complete breakdown of HAP emissions can be found in Table 2-13 of LRAPA Application.)

Toxic heavy metals in air discharges include mercury, manganese, nickel, cobalt, chromium, cadmium and arsenic. Heavy metals attach themselves to the particulate matter. Particulate matter penetrates low in the lungs where there is direct access to the bloodstream.

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