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[Southsider2k12]

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/6510943-537/n...ir-quality.html

Indiana ranks third in the nation for electricity generation from its 90 operating coal-fired power plants, according to “Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People in Indiana,” a recently released report from the NAACP.

The NIPSCO Bailly power plant leads the nation for nitrous oxides emissions in rankings provided by The Environmental Integrity Project.

In “Coal Blooded,” the NAACP looks at coal-fired power plants and says their harmful effects are inadequately addressed by existing environmental regulations and are disproportionately felt among people of color and lower income.

On Friday, Michigan City will be the site of one of several NAACP-sponsored events held in conjunction with the release of “Coal Blooded.”

The first event, at 2 p.m., is a teach-in for NAACP members from around the state to review the report about the dangers of what the NAACP called the 10 worst power plants in Indiana, according to Barbara Bolling, Indiana NAACP state conference president.

A town hall meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday will be held at the Hope Center, 222 McClelland Ave., and is open to the public. Testimony will be taken from people who live in the footprint of power plants, which will be submitted to the EPA. The NAACP is soliciting testimony in response to an EPA proposal to update air quality standards.

“We’d like the EPA to implement stronger regulation and monitoring and enforcement,” Bolling said.

A prayer vigil in front of the Michigan City power plant on U.S. 12 will begin at 8 p.m. Friday.

“Coal Blooded” creates an “environmental justice performance” ranking of power plants coupling emissions with demographic factors, so while the Bailly power plant may lead the nation in nitrous oxides emissions, when incorporated with demographic factors such as population density it is fairly benign.

The study found that the proportion of the U.S. population who are people of color is 29.2 percent, yet 52.5 percent of the people living within 3 miles of these 90 failing plants are people of color. The per capita income of people within 3 miles of the 90 failing plants, $17,600, is less than the U.S. per capita income of $21,587.

The study gives 90 of 431 coal power plants in the U.S. a failing grade for environmental justice performance; Indiana has eight of these 90, and two of the Top 10 — State Line Plant in Hammond, owned by Dominion, and the R. Gallagher Generating Station in New Albany, owned by Duke Energy.

The State Line Plant is slated to be closed between 2014 and 2017, according to earlier Post-Tribune reports, because Dominion does not believe it is worthwhile upgrading the plant to meet Clean Air Act standards.

And while “Coal Blooded” advocates “shutting down the 90 failing plants,” it is a decision Bolling doesn’t necessarily agree with: “I have mixed feelings. If a plant cannot be made safe we don’t want it. We absolutely don’t want to see jobs lost, but we want to make an unsafe plant safe.”