Xcel Getting a Blank Check for Polluting our Air?

Xcel Energy's proposal to reduce haze-forming pollution from six of its coal burning power plants here in Colorado is now open for public comment.

The proposals, called "Best Available Retrofit Technology," (affectionately known as BART) are meant to protect pristine and remote wilderness landscapes here in Colorado from old, dirty coal burning power plants. The idea is to require older power plants to upgrade their pollution controls and significantly reduce nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide to protect visibility in wilderness areas and National Parks. Xcel is proposing to amend its air pollution permits to incorporate "Best Available Retrofit Technology."

Sadly, Xcel's proposal is, in many ways, a ruse. Here's a few highlights:

• The permits actually allow an increase of nearly 150 tons of sulfur dioxide from coal burning power plants in the Denver metro area.
• The permit allows nitrogen oxide emissions to increase by over 300 tons from the Pawnee power plant in Morgan County.
• The permits contain loopholes that exempt compliance with pollution limits during cold startups and malfunctions, basically giving Xcel a blank check for more air pollution.

And to top it all off, Xcel is proposing to enter into an "agreement" with the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to adopt what can only be described as a weak BART proposal, at best.

This "agreement" is probably the most troublesome part of Xcel's proposal. What it amounts to is a settlement agreement meant to bring Xcel into compliance with BART. But like all settlements, there are compromises. For instance, it states that the Pawnee power plant is not subject to BART, when the state of Colorado has found otherwise. The "agreement" also allows Xcel to rely on other agreements in place of BART, yet those agreements are weaker than BART requirements.

The most troubling aspect is that the "agreement" was crafted with no public input. True, the "agreement" is open to public comment, but where were public health and environmental advocacy groups at the table? Where were citizens when the meat of this "agreement" was being fleshed out?

With citizens and advocates being left out of the process, the state of Colorado shouldn't be surprised when people get upset and frustrated at their decisions, especially when those decisions lead to more air pollution.

It also shouldn't be surprised when citizens and advocates take matters into their own hands and use the Clean Air Act to secure the clean air we deserve, as Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action often does and will likely do here with BART.