New Report Shows Pioneer Valley Air at Risk; Health Professionals and Activists call on DEP to Act

Air Quality model shows unhealthy levels of sulfur dioxide emissions from Mt. Tom Coal Plant

News Release: November 10

[Holyoke, MA] – On Thursday, November 10^th, health professionals and environmental activists announced the results of new air quality modeling released by the Sierra Club. This report shows that Holyoke and surrounding communities are at risk of unsafe exposure to dangerous sulfur dioxide emissions. Sulfur dioxide such as that emitted by Holyoke’s Mt. Tom coal plant is linked to asthma attacks, severe respiratory problems, lung disease and heart complications. 

Gathered at the Greater Holyoke YMCA playground holding signs, the group unveiled images of the Pioneer Valley that depict the modeled pollution cloud threatening the Holyoke and Northampton residential areas, local schools, senior homes, and health centers. Outraged by the threat to air quality, the group called on Governor Deval Patrick and the Department of Environmental Protection to protect air quality by issuing a Title V Clean Air Act permit that would safeguard the health of residents most at risk, like children, those with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and the eldery. At this critical time for Holyoke’s energy future, guest speakers spotlighted coal’s harmful effects on public health, the environment and the communities in the Pioneer Valley, while demanding clean energy alternatives.

Local speakers included Laura Porter, Program Coordinator for the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council, Jane Andresen, a Holyoke resident and member of the Action for a Healthy Holyoke Coalition, and Virgenmina Perez, a Holyoke resident and Neighbor-to-Neighbor member. Porter addressed Holyoke’s high rate of asthma: "Nearly 30% of preK-grade 12 students in Holyoke public schools have an asthma history, and almost 1,300 doses of asthma medication were administered in Holyoke schools alone during the last school year." reported Porter. Holyoke’s asthma rate is much higher than the state average for Massachusetts, which is 10 percent.

 

Virgenmina Perez, a Neighbor to Neighbor member who has lived in Holyoke for almost thirty years, raised the issue of the financial impact asthma and other illnesses have on working-class families. "Five of my family members battle with asthma. When you're uninsured, each asthma pump can cost up to $95 out-of-pocket,” she said. “We must make sure that this coal plant can no longer contaminate our air and threaten our health."

Specifically, the group emphasized that the Holyoke City Council is currently reviewing a proposal to begin planning for the retirement of this coal plant and considering how to redevelop the plant site.
Because of limited hours of operation and the plant’s recent announcement that it would lay off half of its workforce, the community expects the Mt. Tom coal plant to retire soon. "The Action for a Healthy Holyoke coalition has been working hard to ensure that the City has a plan in place for when this coal plant retires. We don't want to be left with a dirty, abandoned site when the plant is gone. And we want to pave the way for Holyoke to bring in cleaner energy and cleaner jobs,” stated Jane Andresen

Drew Grande, the Massachusetts state organizer for the Sierra Club Beyond Coal campaign, discussed the details of the report. The air quality model was completed by Wingra Engineering, S.C., an independent environmental engineering consultation firm whose clients include manufacturing plants, electrical utilities, and law firms in addition to environmental advocacy groups. The firm works primarily to evaluate environmental protection and compliance projects.Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection agency establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants such as sulfur dioxide that have the potential to harm the public health. As a result, sulfur dioxide national ambient air quality levels must be reviewed by the EPA every five years to determine if they are sufficient to protect public health.  

The Mt. Tom coal plant is owned by GDF-Suez, the world’s largest utility. GDF-Suez is headquartered in Paris, France; Mt. Tom has been in operation since 1960.  The plant has been operating under a Title V air permit issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection in 2002. Their permit, however, has been expired since December 31, 2006.  The current permit allows the Mt. Tom coal plant to emit such high levels of sulfur dioxide that the Pioneer Valley is prevented from attaining the EPA’s sulfur dioxide NAAQS.  The NAAQS for sulfur dioxide sets an hourly standard of 196.2 micrograms per cubic meter.  The Sierra Club’s report models the facility, if operated as currently permitted, to cause ambient concentrations of up to 3,693 micograms per cubic meter at ground level—almost ninteeen times higher than the standard says is healthy to breathe.

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