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Coal Fire Plant at Boardman
Oregon's leading polluter.
The Boardman coal-fired power plant owned and operated by PGE (Portland General Electric) came under attack by several large environmental groups earlier this year. The groups are insisting that PGE clean up its coal fired plant. The plant is the largest source of air and global warming pollution in Oregon, emitting tons of carbon dioxide, mercury, soot, smog and other harmful pollution, the results of the coal fire plant pollution is a haze that is visible to the naked eye as you travel through the gorge, the pollution also causes acid rain, acid rain unfortunately is developing in the gorge and surrounding areas, PGE is responsible in adhering to the rules and regulations of the Clean Air Act, PGE however is not compiling to such regulations at this time. In order to make PGE adhere to the Clean Air Act the groups of environmental groups have issued their intent to file suit against PGE in an attempt to force PGE to comply with modern environmental regulations. By law, PGE should have upgraded to modern pollution control when they upgraded other parts of the plant, more ever PGE has been in violation with its operating permit with DEQ, thus releasing vast amounts of illegal pollutants into the air for many years.
A question that one might ask is, if DEQ knew that the Boardman coal fire plant was in violation with their pollutant laws why has DEQ allowed the company to continue operating, instead of forcing th plant (PGE) into compliance? Another example, of government agencies that were created to protect us, and the environment not doing their job, and knowingly allowing corporations to blatantly disregard the law.
PGE plans to burn coal at the Boardman plant until the year 2040, while the appropriate direction for energy in Oregon and throughout the United States is through renewable energy and efficiency, people should wonder why PGE wants to continue using dirty coal to produce energy.
The EPA and DEQ have once again proven that they are agencies that have failed to do their jobs, agencies that have allowed the coal fire plant to pollute our state with out the least concern for over 25 years.
The state of Oregon should step up to the plate and demand that either PGE updates its pollution controls to modern technology with in the next year or the state will shut them down until they adhere to the rules and regulations.
The state of Oregon spouts that they want to be GREEN, well here is an opportunity for the state to make it happen, with the updating of this plant to modern standards not only would it provide clean air, water, it would also create many high paying construction jobs, so it would be a win win proposition for every Oregonian.
TAMMY
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