Statement on proposed air permit for Duke’s planned expansion at Cliffside

Duke Energy Carolinas has applied to the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (DAQ) for an air quality permit to build a new 800-megawatt unit at its Cliffside power plant near Shelby. DAQ today proposed a draft permit that would allow Duke to use a conventional coal burning technology that does not allow for capture of carbon dioxide and emits a variety of other dangerous pollutants. Building the new unit as proposed would mean locking in a commitment to outdated, dirty coal technology over the 50-year lifespan of the unit, which would contribute to global warming, ozone and particulate matter pollution, and mercury pollution in our rivers and lakes. The public has until October 31 to comment on DAQ’s draft permit before any decision is made whether to issue a final permit for the unit.

The following is a statement from SELC attorney Gudrun Thompson on the draft permit released today.

Gudrun Thompson: “Based on our preliminary review, the State of North Carolina has proposed a permit that would not require Duke to build the new Cliffside unit with the cleanest technology available, as the federal Clean Air Act requires. In fact, the state’s proposed permit would allow the new unit to emit of millions of tons per year of carbon dioxide, thousands of tons per year of soot-forming sulfur dioxide and smog-forming nitrogen oxides, and large amounts of toxic mercury. What’s more, Duke is seeking to exploit a legislative loophole it secured in the General Assembly that would exempt the new unit from permit review for certain pollutants, and allow the utility to evade review of the new unit’s effects on air quality and visibility in nearby wilderness areas and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We will be reviewing this draft permit very carefully and submitting extensive comments to DAQ urging that any final permit issued for the proposed Cliffside unit must comply with all the requirements of the Clean Air Act.”