Sierra Club to challenge Dynegy/LS Power plans for coal plants
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Rastus [2011-05-20]
The Sierra Club on Tuesday said it will launch a major campaign challenging plans by merchant generators Dynegy and LS Power to build coal-fired power plants in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi and Nevada.
The environmental group said the campaign, which will start Wednesday,will target Dynegy/LS Power as "Coal-fired Power Polluter Number 1."
The Sierra Club said in a statement that the Dynegy/LS Power joint venture "is proposing to construct more new coal-fired power plants than any other power company in the nation."
Dynegy spokesman David Byford said the concerns raised by the environmental group "are part of a larger national debate about how to meet our future energy needs" in a manner that is both environmentally andeconomically sound. "Our own approach in our 50-50 joint venture with LS Power includes natural gas proposals, coal-fired options, and renewables such as wind and solar," he said. Byford added that Dynegy and LS Power are planning to build more gas-fired capacity than coal-fired capacity.
He added that two of the six coal projects targeted by the Sierra Club -- the Sandy Creek plant in Texas and the Plum Point plant in Arkansas -- already have secured all needed permits and are under construction.