Court Halts Construction of Coal-Fired Power Plant in Georgia
A Superior Court Judge in Fulton County, Georgia has ruled that construction of Dynegy’s Longleaf plant be halted until it is assured the plant will limit the amount of carbon dioxide it releases.
The original permit would have allowed the plant to emit 9 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, something the court said was unreasonable.
The court cited the Supreme Court’s 2007 ruling recognizing that carbon dioxide is a pollutant under the federal Clean Air Act. It’s the first time any court has applied the ruling to an industrial source.
Commenting on the ruling, Bruce Nilles, director of the Sierra Club’s National Coal Campaign said:
“Coal-fired power plants emit more than 30% of our nation’s global warming pollution. Thanks to this decision, coal plants across the country will be forced to live up to their clean coal rhetoric.”
Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius rejected construction of a new coal plant in that state, saying global warming is a public health threat.
It isn’t known yet whether Dynegy, the largest coal plant developer in the country, will fight the ruling. Dynegy has more new coal plants planned in the country than any other developer.
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Court Halts Construction of Coal-Fired Power Plant | Deliggit.com…
\r\nA Superior Court Judge in Fulton County, Georgia has ruled that construction of Dy…
I hate eco-terrorist.
Any time someone wants to produce energy in any form (nuclear, solar, wind, geo-thermal even coal…) there is always an eco-terrorist to block it and stop human progress even if it is direly needed or for national security.
Um, Justin… I fail to see how the term “terrorist” applies in this case… this is a pretty orderly application of law, not exactly how most terrorists operate…
It’s Dynegy, not Dynergy.
Um, Jeff… He said eco-terrorist. Reading is fundamental, but when you have an agenda to promote I guess cherry picking content is ok…
Sounds to me like some pompous judge has WAY too much spare time on his hands.
JT
http://www.Fireme.to/udi
Hey! That’s my money. I need that plant! I am just as green as the next guy, but if you wanted better emissions from this plant then you should have done it from the start! Do not saddell me with the cost of a half finished power plant because of your short sight. No thank you very much. I mean you really should have thought this through, in this time of high energy costs.
It’s high time that these large-scale projects were made to account for all their externalities. It’s no good ignoring some effects and including others… you have to balance the value of the power produced against all cost factors, including the long-term impact of emissions. If the project really is worthwhile, its promoters shouldn’t be afraid of a little basic accounting. That’s hardly “terrorism” (”eco” or any other kind); it’s just good business.
I hope the next time there is a real bad cold spell and there’s not enough power to heat Georgia homes that judge freezes to death.
Gee, I hope that when the air in Georgia becomes unbreathable, you suffocate. (By the way, have you ever been to Georgia? No one there is going to freeze to death any time soon…) This judge should be applauded for following the supreme court’s ruling.