Speak now or forever hold your breath. Springfield
residents may opine on a proposed City Water, Light & Power plant until
midnight Monday, May 22. After that, the comments will be compiled by the
Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and made public as part of a
responsiveness summary that will accompany the draft permit. To date, the Illinois EPA has received 14 comments,
which are under review, says agency spokeswoman Maggie Carson. CWLP applied for its permit to build a new plant in
2004. The new Dallman Unit will replace its oldest two Lakeside Units on
Lake Springfield. Last fall, the Springfield City Council approved a 34
percent electric-rate increase, to be phased in over two-and-a-half years,
to pay for the $541.7 million project. The first increase, 9 percent, took
effect Nov. 1. Officials at CWLP say that the Lakeside Units, built
in the 1950s and ’60s, must be replaced to meet new environmental
standards. However, controversy has arisen over CWLP’s decision to
stick with a coal-fired plant; the Illinois Sierra Club argues that the
city utility should explore more environmentally friendly solutions to
satisfy city’s energy needs. Generating as much as 250 megawatts of power —
three times that of the current plant — the proposed Dallman Unit,
the Sierra Club argues, will emit three times as much pollution into the
air, contributing to increased respiratory problems and global warming. For its part, CWLP insists that the new plant will
incorporate cutting-edge technology to remove harmful pollutants such as
sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide. Furthermore, says CWLP
spokesman Ray Serati, the plant is expected to create 70 to 80 new jobs in
Springfield. The plant is expected to be operational sometime in
2009, when the old Lakeside Units must be retired because of their age.
This article appears in May 18-24, 2006.
