Carolina Jews for Justice/West and Asheville Beyond Coal (Sierra Club) will hold an information session at the Skyland/ South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road in Asheville, on Monday, April 27th from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM to discuss air quality concerns resulting from the nearby Duke Energy coal plant. Emma Greenbaum will be joined by Joan Walker of MountainTrue and French Broad Riverkeeper, Hartwell Carson for a panel discussion to provide information and answer questions.
This information session comes two days before the Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency public hearing on Wednesday, April 29, where community members will have an opportunity to comment on the draft air quality permit for the Asheville coal plant.
“Unfortunately, the proposed emission limit is 80 times higher than the limit necessary to guarantee that EPA’s health-based standard for air quality is achieved in communities downwind of the plant.” says Emma Greenbaum, organizing representative for the Asheville Beyond Coal Campaign. “This permit– as written– will not protect our community from air pollution released from Duke Energy’s Asheville coal plant.”
New evidence demonstrates that the plant’s operations have been causing sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution at levels considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency for the past several years. Modeling has shown that concentrations of SO2 in the air near people’s homes in the vicinity of the plant are up to 3.5 times higher than safe EPA limits. Pollution from the Asheville plant has exceeded public health standards approximately one out of every three to four days. According to Sierra Club studies, an easy solution to this problem is to have Duke Energy return to running the plants pollution control equipment at full capacity and stop burning the high-sulfur coal it has been using in recent years.
“The Western North Carolina Regional Air Quality Agency has the ability now to write a new permit for the Asheville coal plant,” says Judy Leavitt, Chair of the Carolina Jew for Justice/West Steering Committee. “We urge Asheville residents to submit a statement of concern about this public health issue”. Comments should be addressed to: WNC Regional Air Quality Agency, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Asheville, NC 28806. Community members are also encouraged to attend the public hearing on Wednesday, April 29th at 6:00 PM in the auditorium at Clyde A. Erwin High School, 60 Lees Creek Road, Asheville.
For more information please contact wncjewsforjustice1@gmail.com