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Of Climate Change, Coal Plants And The The Post Fossil-Fuel Era

Of Climate Change, Coal Plants And The The Post Fossil-Fuel Era. Focus the Nation Pueblo, Colorado Leslie Glustrom For Clean Energy Action January 31, 2008. Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere for the Last 400,000 Years. National Geographic September 2004

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Of Climate Change, Coal Plants And The The Post Fossil-Fuel Era

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  1. Of Climate Change, Coal Plants And The The Post Fossil-Fuel Era Focus the Nation Pueblo, Colorado Leslie Glustrom For Clean Energy Action January 31, 2008

  2. Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere for the Last 400,000 Years National Geographic September 2004 Originally Published in Nature June 3, 1999

  3. Indicators of Scientific Credibility • Statements based on data • (“No Data; No Science”) • Published extensively and recently • in the peer-reviewed scientific literature • Cited by and respected by other scientists • that publish in the peer-reviewed literature Note that having a PhD or affiliation with a well known institution (e.g. , MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford etc), is not adequate. The fossil fuel industry is providing millions of dollars of research money to prestigious universities.

  4. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change www.ipcc.ch

  5. Vigorous Debate Consensus Science is characterized by vigorous debate on the edges and consensus at the core

  6. www.realclimate.org Top climate change scientists answer questions on an on-going basis

  7. Examples of • The Consequences: • Extreme Weather Increases • Coral Reefs Bleach • Drought and Beetles Kill Trees • Melting Glaciers and Ice Caps • Increased Forest Fires

  8. Denial Leadership Despair • Home • Workplace • Community • State • Country • International

  9. What About China? Source: State of the World 2006 (Page 9) World Watch Institute, www.worldwatch.org

  10. What Clean Energy Action is Doing: • Leading Opposition to New Unit 3 Coal Plant in Pueblo • Opposing Coal Gasification; Work to Close Existing Plants • Raising Awareness of Concentrating Solar Power • Established Citizen Intervention at the Public Utilities Comm’n • Promote 80% Reduction in GHGs by 2020 • Train and Inspire Other Activists • Spin Off Many Other Groups • Carbon Fee/Clean Energy Progress Fund • Shanahan Neighbors for Climate Action • IREA Voices • PV Pioneers

  11. What You Can Do: • Stay in School!! We Will Need Your Skills!! • Write Letters to the Editor • Contact the Governor and Your Elected Rep’s • Meet with the Editors of Your Local Paper • Strengthen Sustainability Initiatives at School • Talk to Your Parents, Friends and Family • Other Ideas???

  12. Primary Components of Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Source: Center for Climate Solutions Draft GHG Inventory for Colorado, Jan 2007 Available from www.rockymountainclimate.org

  13. CO2 Emissions from the Electric Sector Colorado 1990-2020 Natural Gas New Coal Plant in Pueblo… Million Metric Tons CO2e 1990 2000 2010 2020 Source: Colorado GHG Inventory available from www.rockymountainclimate.org

  14. How to Achieve 60-80% Decarbonization in 15 Years… Tasks in Red Could Be Hard to Achieve in 15 Years—The Rest Should be Achievable…

  15. Use the Military ($400+ Billion Annual Budget) to Help Decarbonize… Teach recruits how to increase efficiency and install solar PV and solar thermal systems etc.…

  16. In the 1940s, The U.S. Went from a Peacetime Economy to a Wartime Economy In Less than 24 Months…. We can do the same now IF we decide the planet is worth it…

  17. Coal Plants Need to Be Stopped • James Hansen • Al Gore • Architecture 2030 • US Senate President Harry Reid • Major Press Stories • New York Times • Washington Post • In 2007, over 40 coal plants were cancelled or “deferred.”

  18. Xcel (and IREA’s) 750 MW Pueblo coal plant would emit About 4 million tons of CO2/year Every year until 2060 This will be a substantial increase in emissions of CO2— At a time when we desperately need To “Decarbonize” –Quickly!!

  19. Other Pollutants from the Proposed Pueblo Coal Plant • Over 8 million pounds per year of carbon monoxide • Over 6 million pounds per year of sulfur dioxide • Over 5 million pounds per year of nitrogen oxides • Over 1 million pounds per year of particulates Information from CDPHE

  20. More Pollutants from the Proposed Pueblo Coal Plant • Over 41,000 pounds per year of hydrogen chloride • Over 31,000 pounds per year of hydrogen fluoride • Over 290 pounds per year of nickel • Over 250 pounds per year of chromium • Over 250 pounds per year of benzene • Over 190 pounds of selenium • Over 140 pounds of lead • Over 100 pounds of mercury Information from CDPHE

  21. What Xcel Does Tell You….

  22. Pollution from the Pueblo Power PlantsWill Decrease Total Before SO2 Unit 1 Unit 2 NOX Total After Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 1 A “Netting” Transaction according to Xcel

  23. Well, Let’s Just Build A Dozen Coal Plants, Then Our Air Will Be Perfectly Clean…” Dave Barber Citizens for Clean Air and Water in Pueblo

  24. What Xcel Doesn’t Tell You….

  25. Other Pollutants from the Proposed Pueblo Coal Plant • Over 8 million pounds per year of carbon monoxide • Over 6 million pounds per year of sulfur dioxide • Over 5 million pounds per year of nitrogen oxides • Over 1 million pounds per year of particulates Information from CDPHE

  26. Health Effects of • Particulates, Carbon Monoxide and • Volatile Organic Compounds: • Asthma • Breathing Difficulties • Ozone formation

  27. Hazardous Pollutants Will Increase With the Addition of Unit 3 in Pueblo Acid Gases Lead Mercury Arsenic

  28. Effects of Mercury and • Other Hazardous Pollutants: • Neurological Development • Learning Disabilities • Autism?

  29. More of What Xcel Doesn’t Tell You …

  30. SO2 and NOx from the Pueblo Power Plants These emissions were put under a Notice of Violation (NOV) in 2002

  31. SO2 and NOx from the Pueblo Power Plants Units 1 and 2 Should Be Cleaned Up (Under New Source Review)

  32. SO2 and NOx from the Pueblo Power Plants Units 1 and 2 Should Be Cleaned Up (Under New Source Review) Without Building Unit 3

  33. UNIT 3—COAL PLANT AIR PERMIT LAWSUIT Some Alleged Violations of CDPHE Air Pollution Regulations—Part A • Reductions down to compliance levels • may not be used for netting. • (Reg 3, Part A. V. E. 7. ) • No netting if it will result in an increased concentration • at the point of maximum impact of • hazardous air pollutants • (Reg 3, Part A. V. F. 2. ) • Trades involving a Notice of Violation (NOV) require a • State Implementation Plan Revision • (Reg. 3, Part A. V. F. 13. f. ) Part A clearly applies to modifications of existing major sources (Reg 3, Part A, V. I. 1. )

  34. Water Use by the Pueblo Coal Plants Compared to the Top 10 Water Users in Pueblo Units 1 and 2 Unit 3 Acre Feet Per Year Top Ten Users of Treated Water in Pueblo Coal Plants in Red- Top Ten Users in Pueblo in Blue Information from Pueblo Board of Water Works

  35. Water Use by the Proposed Pueblo Coal Plant Approximately 5500 Acre Feet Per Year 1 Acre Foot = 325, 851 Gallons Equates to Almost 1.8 Billion Gallons Per Year Or Almost 5 Million Gallons Per Day

  36. Xcel’s Cost Estimates 2003-2034 Without Pueblo Coal Plant With Pueblo Coal Plant Red Bars Are Cost Savings with Increased Efficiency and Wind Energy These Were Ignored by the Public Utilities’ Commission. (No Consideration Was Given to the Potential of Solar Energy) Data From p. 9 of Xcel Witness Jim Hill’s Rebuttal Testimony Submitted to the PUC in October 2004

  37. Spot Coal Prices 2003-2006 2004 http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/coal/page/coalnews/coalmar.html

  38. Percentage of Economically Recoverable Coal Gillette Wyoming USGS Open File Report 02-180, 2002,

  39. Overburden Above Coal in the Powder River Basin (Wyoming and Montana) 50-200 Feet 750->2250 Feet Source: US DOE, DOI and DOA Inventory of Federal Coal Resources August 2007

  40. Coal In the Powder River Basin That is Not Surface Accessible Blue Hatched Areas = Areas Where Surface Mining Is Not Anticipated… Source: US DOE, DOI and DOA Inventory of Federal Coal Resources August 2007

  41. Xcel’s Coal and Freight Costs Up Over 30% Between 2004 and 2006 20042006% Increase Coal (per ton) $11.45 $15.78 37.8% Freight (per ton) $6.37 $8.38 31.6% Total $17.82 $24.16 35.58% Source: Data from Xcel Energy, Response to Discovery Question LWG 1-9c (Exhibit 29) in Docket 07A-107E at the Colorado Public Utility Commission, June 2007

  42. According to Peabody Coal, We Can Expect a…. 59% Increase in the Cost of Powder River Basin (Wyo) Coal Between 2007 and 2009 Source: Peabody Coal, Presentation to Investors, September 6, 2007 Lehman Brothers Conference

  43. Source: Xcel Data June 2007 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

  44. Operating the New Unit 3 in Pueblo (Comanche 3) as a Coal Plant Will Add Billions of Dollars to Ratepayers Bills 2060 $1 Billion $2B $3B $4B $8B $5B 2010 Assumptions: Coal increases 3% per year Freight increases 3% per year Moderate costs for CO2 management Analysis by Andy Bardwell, Bardwell Consulting

  45. Annual Operating Costs for Xcel Customers Pueblo Unit 3 Coal Plant 10% Annual Increase in Coal and Freight Costs C02 Costs Stable at $12/Ton Analysis by Andy Bardwell, Bardwell Consulting

  46. Operating Costs Unit 3 Pueblo Coal Plant Assume: 4million tons of CO2 per year x $20/ton = $80 million per year 2 million tons of coal per year x $10/ton = $20 million per year TOTAL = $100 million per year for coal and CO2 x 10 Years in a Decade = 1 BILLION PER DECADE FOR COAL AND CO2 ALONE

  47. What Shall We Spend a Billion Dollars On?? CSP = Concentrating Solar (Thermal Electric) Power

  48. Addressing Climate Change…. Quickly and Economically….

  49. Three Keys to Addressing Climate Change --Quickly!! • Orient Our Buildings Properly • and Make Them Carbon Neutral • 2)Use Concentrating Solar Power • 3)Plug our Vehicles into the Grid

  50. Use Passive Solar Design House Built in 1994 Utility Bills Essentially $0…. See The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, By Daniel Chiras, Chelsea Green Publishing 2002

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