Air quality, quality of life need to be priorities

When we err as a community, and know we have erred, should we correct the problem or maintain the status quo? When our local government decided to support Santee Cooper’s plan to build a pulverized coal plant, it did not know that the EPA was going to change the air quality standards. But it knows now. Moreover, we also are now aware that Florence County might not meet the new standards. According to http://www.scorecard.org, a pollution monitoring site, in 2002, Florence County ranked among the worst 10 percent of all counties nationally in terms of total environmental releases. But unless you suffer from asthma or other respiratory illnesses, as an increasing number of children in our county do, appreciating the importance of clean air is not always easy. Usually, by the time air pollution can be seen or smelled, it is toxic.

Despite what Santee Cooper claims, this plant does not use the best available environmental technology. As it currently stands, the coal plant will emit into our county each year, for 50 years, 900 tons of lung damaging particulate matter, 3,500 tons of ozone forming nitrous oxide and 7,500 tons of soot-forming sulfur dioxide. Leaving aside the health risks, what are the economic consequences for our county?

Santee Cooper claims that this plant will provide cheap power to new industries that might locate here. But if our county does not meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Air Quality standards, any new sources of ozone in the area will have to be offset by decreases from other sectors. According to DHEC, to be in compliance for air quality, we must read at 0.075 (ppm parts per million) or lower. Today, we register 0.076. In short, if we fall out of compliance with the new air regulations, the Santee Cooper plant might threaten future economic growth in Florence County.

Indeed, does our local government fully understand generally what will happen to economic growth in our region if our air quality does not meet national standards? A Memo of Agreement (MOA) recently was adopted by the Department of Health and Environmental Control to Amend the South Carolina Air Quality Implementation Plan. The Clean Air Act requires that air quality in every state meet the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). This agreement will impact federal transportation projects directed by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Our local MPO is the Florence Area Transportation Study (FLATS). The MOA has set policy standards to assure conformity of transportation projects in South Carolina. Therefore, if we do not meet air quality attainment in Florence County, we are in jeopardy of losing funding associated with federal highway and transit funds.

How much are we willing to sacrifice for this “cheap” electricity? What impact will this speedy solution have on the health and economic future of our children and our children’s children? Shouldn’t we look first at investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy before betting the economic future of our county on a dirty, outdated coal plant?

We people of the Pee Dee can look forward to a much brighter economic future if we invest in healthy, clean alternatives that create more jobs than automated plants, save taxpayer money and make our region and country less dependent on fossil fuel and foreign interests.

— Peggy Brown is the chair of the Responsible Economic Development organization.