On the Movement to Stop Cliffisde

On the Movement to Stop Cliffside

As the movement builds to end coal power across the country, the fight against Duke Energy's expansion of Cliffside coal-fired power plant in Rutherford County, North Carolina.

From the grassroots, there are over a dozen environmental groups extending pressure on Duke Energy's CEO Jim Rogers to stop the expansion of a 800-MW coal-fired power plant at the Cliffside facilities. Along side the expansion, Duke Energy plans to close three smaller plants. The company portrays the changes to Cliffside as reducing emissions, but the fact, the net effect will continue current levels of carbon emission, about 6 million tons per year. It will also evaporate 21 million gallons of water daily from the already drought-ridden southeast region. The $2.4 billion price-tag for the unnecessary new generator falls on ratepayers pockets, their health and the consequences of our climate crisis.

A national victory for people's health and the environment, particularly in the Southeast, came February 8th when the Federal Court decision that the EPA improperly removed coal-fired power plants from the hazardous air pollution source list and vacated the EPA's "Delisting Rule." The decision also reinstates the EPA's December 2000 "appropriate and necessary" finding and listing decision and invalidates the Bush Administration "Clean Air Mercury Rule." This means the Clean Air Act requires EPA to develop within two years hazardous air pollution standards--named Maximum Achievable Control Technology or MACT standards. The Court's decision vacating EPA's Delisting Rule requires the roughly 120 new coal-fired power plants currently proposes in the U.S.--including Cliffside--to comply with case-by case MACT requirements.

As a result of the Court's ruling, several groups opposing the plant are appealing the permit issued by the NC division of Air Quality (DAQ) earlier this year. Duke Energy's initial proposal to the DAQ limits mercury to 294 pounds, that is does not comply with the mercury standards settled on through the MACT standards. This is almost double that of the levels Cliffside currently emits.

The students from North Carolina Student Climate Coalition have been working to fight Cliffside for over a year. They have used a wealth of tactics between writing to the NC utilities Commission and participated in public hearings for air quality permits. November 15th hosted a call-in day to Duke Energy's CEO Jim Rogers and NC Governor Mike Easley. For further exclamation students held a direct action outside the Duke Energy Headquarter in Charlotte, which received national media attention.

As part of Fossil Fools Day --the national day of action to break free from fossil fuels --a student-led rally will be held at Freedom Park in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday April 5th at 11:00am to 1:30pm. Join students, politicians, grassroots organizations, people of faith and climate change experts in a demonstration to stop Duke Energy's expansion of the Cliffside coal-fired power plant. Keep the pressure on Jim Rogers--a nominee for the Fossil Fool Award.