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Indeck Coal Plant Proposal Suffers Significant Defeat
State Remands Permit to Protect Wildlife

Chicago, IL - Indeck's plans to build a giant coal-burning power plant south of Chicago are on the ropes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ended its defense of Indeck's permit and told the State of Illinois to re-do the permit, a process that will take months, if not years. The US EPA action came in response to a legal challenge brought by a coalition of groups that challenged Indeck's pollution controls as outdated, and a threat to air quality and the adjacent Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.

Indeck had been planning to build a giant coal-burning power plant 55 miles south of Chicago in nearby Will County, an area that already violates federal air quality standards. The state had issued Indeck a permit over the objections of a majority of area residents, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service (which manages the Midewin Prairie), and a host of elected officials, including Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn. A coalition of groups had filed a legal challenge of the permit with the US EPA Environmental Appeals Board in Washington D.C.

After the Environmental Appeals Board ordered US EPA to explain its actions, US EPA Headquarters told its Chicago office that it could not defend that office's decision to ignore two endangered species in the Midewin Prairie prior to Indeck receiving its air permit. US EPA could not reconcile the fact that other regional offices, including in Texas, California and Washington, regularly protected endangered species. Rather than wage a losing battle, they told the State to pull back the permit and begin the process necessary to protect the Midewin and its endangered species.

"Today's decision demonstrates that companies that want to build power plants cannot shortchange Illinois' clean air and natural heritage protections," said Sierra Club's Bruce Nilles. "This should be a wake-up call to irresponsible companies that seek to steamroll over our clean air, clean water, and natural area protections: You are better off complying with the law and not threatening our communities."

The groups opposing Indeckís plans have pointed to the Chicago region already being in the midst of an asthma epidemic without Indeck's proposed additional pollution. The Chicago Tribune has labeled Chicago "Asthma Capital" of the Nation because the region's asthma rates are 30 to 40 percent higher than the national average and more people die from asthma here than in any other place in the United States. "The air pollution from Indeck's dirty coal plant would impact every Illinois community between Joliet and the Wisconsin state line," said Brian Urbaszewski, of the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago. "Heaviest hit would be the 650,000 asthmatics in Metropolitan Chicago."

Over the past two summers smog levels in Chicago regularly violated federal air quality standards on approximately one day a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day. This smog pollution causes a host of breathing problems, including more frequent and more severe asthma attacks. "With Indeck's proposal looking more remote every day, we can all breathe a little easier," said Verena Owen of the Lake County Conservation Alliance.

Illinois' existing dirty coal plants are the state's largest sources of smog and fine particle pollution. A 2002 Harvard study found that the air pollution from the nine existing, dirty coal plants in and around Chicago are responsible for 320 premature deaths and 21,500 asthma attacks, each year. "Now is a good time for Indeck to rescind its entire proposal and come back with a cleaner power plant proposal," said John Thompson, Clean Air Task Force's Regional Representative. "Through a combination of clean power plants and new wind farms, we could eliminate most air pollution problems altogether."

Coal-burning power plants are also Illinois's largest source of mercury pollution. Mercury in a potent neurotoxin that cause brain damage. Mercury from coal plants has poisoned every lake, river, and stream in Illinois to the point that there is a statewide advisory against eating most fish. At greatest risk from mercury poisoning are young children and fetuses when their mother unwittingly eat contaminated fish. "Indeck's dirty coal plant would add over two hundred pounds of new mercury into Illinois' lakes, rivers and streams," said Ellen Rendulich, of the Citizens Against Ruining the Environment in Lockport. "It is too bad it took a lawsuit, but today our lakes and streams are a little safer."

The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Alliance was jubilant about the news. "Indeck's proposal to build a giant coal-burning power plant with a 495-foot smoke stack represents the single biggest threat to the Midewin's long-term protection," said Jerry Heinrich of the Midewin Alliance. "The news that Indeck must go back to the drawing board and ensure this national treasure is protected is welcome news indeed."

Tim Tacker, Chair of the Will County Greens added, "[u]sing modern pollution controls may cut into Indeck's profit margin, but that doesn't override the right to a healthful environment guaranteed to every person by the Illinois Constitution."