again we allow the fox to guard the hen house

Hearing held on proposed power plant … Aaron Royster … Miner Staff WriterKINGMAN - Of the 15 people gathered, only one person made a comment at the hearing Wednesday night regarding the peaking power plant that UniSource Energy plans to build in Golden Valley.Michael Finnegan of Kingman expressed concerns over potential smog created by the Black Mountain Generation Station, which uses natural gas, in combination with outside pollutants. Finnegan, who was representing Citizens for Future Generation, also questioned how the plant would affect water in Golden Valley since groundwater will be used to cool the two 45-megawatt combustion turbines at the plant covering 18 acres."It seems to me that if they're capable of producing 100 tons, a major source of pollution, who is going to be the watchdog of that?" Finnegan said.The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality held the forum for public comment before coming up with a responsiveness summary that it will send to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office in San Francisco. The summary on the plant will undergo a 45-day review by the EPA. From there, ADEQ will decide to approve or deny the permit for the station.The plant is being constructed to increase the reliability of the area's electrical distribution system by supplying peaking power, back-up power and voltage stabilization for the UniSource Energy Development Company's Mohave County service area.According to Joe Salkowski with UniSource Corporate Communications, the $60 million facility has construction scheduled to begin the third quarter of this year. Utilizing 100 to 200 construction workers obtained by the general contractor, the facility will be completed by May 2008.Potential emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide each exceed 100 tons per year; but by voluntary restriction, the emissions are limited by enforceable permit conditions to less that 250 tons per year. That limit defines the plant as a non-major source for the purposes of Prevention of Significant Deterioration under the Clean Air Act.


Hearing held on proposed power plant … Aaron Royster … Miner Staff WriterKINGMAN - Of the 15 people gathered, only one person made a comment at the hearing Wednesday night regarding the peaking power plant that UniSource Energy plans to build in Golden Valley.Michael Finnegan of Kingman expressed concerns over potential smog created by the Black Mountain Generation Station, which uses natural gas, in combination with outside pollutants. Finnegan, who was representing Citizens for Future Generation, also questioned how the plant would affect water in Golden Valley since groundwater will be used to cool the two 45-megawatt combustion turbines at the plant covering 18 acres."It seems to me that if they're capable of producing 100 tons, a major source of pollution, who is going to be the watchdog of that?" Finnegan said.The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality held the forum for public comment before coming up with a responsiveness summary that it will send to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency office in San Francisco. The summary on the plant will undergo a 45-day review by the EPA. From there, ADEQ will decide to approve or deny the permit for the station.The plant is being constructed to increase the reliability of the area's electrical distribution system by supplying peaking power, back-up power and voltage stabilization for the UniSource Energy Development Company's Mohave County service area.According to Joe Salkowski with UniSource Corporate Communications, the $60 million facility has construction scheduled to begin the third quarter of this year. Utilizing 100 to 200 construction workers obtained by the general contractor, the facility will be completed by May 2008.Potential emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide each exceed 100 tons per year; but by voluntary restriction, the emissions are limited by enforceable permit conditions to less that 250 tons per year. That limit defines the plant as a non-major source for the purposes of Prevention of Significant Deterioration under the Clean Air Act.Of the 15 people gathered, only one person made a comment at the hearing Wednesday night regarding the peaking power plant that UniSource Energy plans to build in Golden Valley…!

This should raise a big red warning flag for us. “We” – that’s you and me – have become so complacent that “we” don’t give a damn …!

Only one person appears to have any concern about the construction & operation of this corporate sponsored power plant, that’s simply amazing.

What is even more amazing is “we” choose to believe UniSource, acting voluntarily as a “good” citizen will honor its voluntary restrictions on emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, to enable it to be “labeled” as a non-major source of pollution for purposes of Prevention of Significant Deterioration under the Clear Air Act. Oh, by the way, you are aware, aren’t you that George W Bush during his term as President has essentially neutered EPA all but rendering the “clean air act” part of ExxonMobil’s junk science…?

Again, “we” allow the fox to guard the hen house, are “we” ever going to learn…?