On Wednesday evening, more than 60 people took their own time to find the DNR offices, show up for a public hearing, stand up, and be heard. Every last one of those people voiced their concerns about the UW's antiquated, dirty coal-fired power plant and asked the UW to take a lead on combating global warming, and to start by cleaning up the Charter Street plant. The article "Students Blast UW Coal Plant" provided a misleading counter-argument to the unanimous concern students and members of the Madison community expressed at the hearing.
In the Herald's search for a counter argument, they reference Marya Orf, who DNR records show did not attend Wednesday's public hearing. At the hearing, neither Orf, nor anyone, discussed support for the renewal of the Charter Street Plant's Permit to Pollute. If Orf truly supports the University's decision to heat our campus with the dirtiest fuel available, where was she on Wednesday night?
Furthermore, Orf's contentions are unsubstantiated. Orf claims that "the university should have alternatives in place before the coal plant loses its permit." The University does, in fact, have alternatives. Madison will not have a "serious energy crisis" if this permit is denied. The University will simply have to find better ways to heat the campus when this permit is denied. The UW buys all of its electricity from MG&E. The Charter Street plant is primarily used to generate steam that heats the buildings on the University. The West Campus Cogeneration Facility, which currently provides only one percent of the University's steam needs when it could provide more than 70 percent, could help make up the difference and heat the university in a time of transition while emitting only a fraction of the pollution coming from the Charter Street plant.
Shutting down the Charter Street plant is not something we should fear. Continuing to run it, on the other hand, IS something to fear. And that fear was voiced loud and strong on Wednesday night. With every day that Charter Street operates, burning coal without modern pollution controls, more soot, smog, and mercury pollution gets pumped into our air. And lets not forget all the global warming pollution, contributing to the most pressing environmental issue of our time!
The state of Wisconsin generates 75% of our electricity from coal. We continue to power our state-of-the-art University with World War II era technology. This is unacceptable. The university must step up, and use the great plethora of knowledge and creativity housed at this fine institution to be part of the solution to global warming by finding cleaner ways to heat and power our university. It is this message that the DNR heard at the power plant permit renewal hearing, and it is this message that the administration should hear. There is no excuse. Our over reliance on coal threatens our future. We want change now.
Sincerely,
Susie Levy
Sierra Club Intern
UW-Madison Senior, History and Environmental Studies
www.madisoncleanenergy.org