EPA Coal Pollution Public Hearing

Dangerous pollution from coal-fired power plants threatens our clear skies, our lungs, and our livelihoods. Come to the EPA Public hearing on 1/26 for a rare chance to directly tell decision-makers to protect Utah’s clean air, public health, and recreation & tourism economy.

Here in Utah, we pride ourselves on the beauty and sanctity of our world-renowned public lands and national parks. Much of our state’s economic well-being depends on protecting those natural assets for the benefit of our thriving recreation and tourism economy. Not to mention the fact that our National Parks, like Arches and Canyonlands, provide immeasurable benefit as places to realize the restorative and empowering quality of nature. Pollution, like hazardous nitrogen oxide from Utah’s Hunter and Huntington coal plants, covers those lands in haze and clogs our lungs.

The Regional Haze Rule of the Clean Air Act is designed to protect our National Parks and wild places, and return them to “natural visibility” by 2060. Each state has the flexibility to design their own plan. Unfortunately, Utah’s proposed plan did not address a very important precurser to visible haze, nitrogen oxide (NOx), giving two of the state’s largest power plants a pass and not requiring any reductions in NOx…at all. Luckily, the EPA has the final say of whether or not to approve or supplant the State’s innadequate plan.

On December 17th the EPA released their (much belated) Draft Regional Haze Plan for Utah. We at the Sierra Club, HEAL Utah, National Parks Conservation Asssociation and allies fought hard to ensure that the draft plan included an option to require the best available pollution controls for Utah’s dirtiest coal-fired power plants. EPA could not ignore the power of the thousands of citizens calling for strong protections, and thankfully included the desired control technology as an option in their draft plan. Now we need your voice and your help to ensure that the EPA will approve a FINAL Regional Haze plan that cuts dangerous coal-fired power plant pollution by up to 87%. 

On Tuesday, January 26, the EPA will be hosting a public hearing in Salt Lake City at the Main Library. This is your chance to tell that the EPA to require Rocky Mountain Power to clean up its coal-fired power plants and protect Utah’s wild places and public health!

The proposed pollution controls, called Selective Catalytic Reduction, are widely implemented and now required at over 200 coal-fired power plants across the country. We know the Utility and special interests will be fighting hard to push back against installing these cost-effective, common-sense pollution controls. But, that’s because they value their shareholder’s profits over your family’s health and well-being. Tell the EPA that Utahns deserve a fair and strong regional haze rule, just like many of our Western neighbors.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Tuesday 1/26! We’ll need to show up in force in force to seize this great opportunity to tell decision-makers to protect our parks, protect our health, and protect our recreation economy! More details to come.

Email lindsay.beebe@sierraclub.org for more information.

RSVP at this link to receive updates: sc.org/uthazehearing