NEWS
Sierra Club set to sue state
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Also by Carl Jaeger:
- Many eager to pick chancellor (December 11, 2007)
- Officials debate Wiley's legacy (December 10, 2007)
- 'No guarantee' in UW success (December 10, 2007)
- New rules apply for UW seg fees (December 7, 2007)
- Regents hear about booze, textbooks (December 7, 2007)
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- Sierra Club sues state (December 5, 2006)
- Wiley faces coal for Christmas (November 29, 2006)
- Judge forces coal plant to clean up (November 8, 2007)
- Coal plant faces stiff opposition (November 15, 2006)
by Carl Jaeger
Monday, December 4, 2006
Already the subject of campus discussion and debate, the question of permit renewal of Madison's coal power plants is now the cause of legal action against the state of Wisconsin.
The Sierra Club is set to announce at a press conference today that the group is filing a lawsuit against the state for violating the Clean Air Act. The press teleconference is scheduled for noon.
An international environmental organization, the Sierra Club is the oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in America, according to the group's website.
The issue of the University of Wisconsin's energy use has come under scrutiny recently, as the coal permit for the Charter Street power plant is up for renewal this year, and student groups such as the Wisconsin Public Interest Group and the UW Sierra Student Coalition are voicing their discontent.
Claus Moberg, president of the Sierra Student Coalition said coal-powered energy is "dirty energy."
"I think that Wisconsin relies heavily on some very dirty coal plants — roughly 70 percent of its energy comes from power plants that do not meet the new, strictest Environmental Protection Agency standards," Moberg said. "Parts are moving in the right direction, but generally, Wisconsin relies on a very dirty energy."
Although the Sierra Club is suing Wisconsin for violating the Clean Air Act, Moberg said the state is making progress in receiving energy in a more efficient manner.
The university is moving toward more responsible energy use with the West Campus Co-generational Energy Facility, Moberg said.
The West Campus Co-generational Energy Facility is the cleanest power plant in the state, according to Moberg, but he added Wisconsin still gets the majority of its power from a "very dirty, outdated" source.
UW has also started a campaign called "We Conserve," which promotes energy conservation and energy consciousness. The goal of We Conserve is to reduce campus energy consumption by 20 percent by 2010, according to the campaign's website.
"Whatever decisions are to be made as an alternative to what we do [about coal plants in Madison] will be a transition from one technology to another," said Faramarz Vakili-Zadeh, energy conservation program director for We Conserve.
Vakili-Zadeh also said that the university cannot immediately shut down the coal-fired plant.
"We need to make sure the university's energy needs are met," he said, adding that the university is very committed to environmental issues.
Sierra Club attorney Bruce Nilles said he was unable to comment on the organization's legal action against the state until the case is formally announced today.
Anonymous (December 4, 2006 @ 11:48am):
"I think that Wisconsin relies heavily on some very dirty coal plants..."
This a direct result of killing the Lake Koshkonong Nuclear Power Plant back in the 70s (along with others). It will get really grim if any of the nukes that did get built are decomissioned.
Among plants once considered for Wisconsin, but never built, were sites in Pleasant Prairie, Koshkonong, Haven, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Rapids and Durand.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=502707
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_bed_reactor
Anonymous (December 4, 2006 @ 1:00pm):
oh my god. if you love pebble bed nuclear reactors so much, why don't you fucking marry one?
Anonymous (December 4, 2006 @ 2:05pm):
that would be hot
Anonymous (December 6, 2006 @ 3:59pm):
WI statutes identify the state as a "nuclear free zone". Such laws inhibit Wisconsin's ability to construct any nuclear facility and thereby limits the fuel options available. If Wisconsin desires to promote cleaner energy, the nuclear free zone law needs to be resended.
