Woods & Wetlands Alert Libertyville Power Plant July 13th, 1999

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ALERT
Please write to the US Army Corps of Engineers and request that they deny application 19990678 for the destruction of 2.14 and impact of 3.15 acres of wetlands by Indeck Power. Please also contact your Libertyville trustees and ask them to oppose this unwelcome use of open space in the village.
 

EXPLANATION

Indeck Power wants to erect a large electricity generating plant on the north edge of Libertyville.

They have applied for a permit from the US Army Corps of Engioneers (USACOE) to destroy and impact wetlands. We had until July 18 to submit comments, and submitted a Comment Period Extension Request Letter .

Assuming they receive a permit from the USACOE, they will not be allowed to build the plant without receiving a zoning change from the Village of Libertyville. This process will begin when they apply for the permit, and will include several public hearings held by the zoning department. The Trustees are your representatives. They are influential, and contacting them will convince them to express their opposition during this process. Check back here for hearing dates, but begin calling your Trustees now.

We oppose siting of this plant in this location for these reasons:

• Zoning: This land was zoned Suburban on the 1994 Lake County Framework Plan, and is now zoned O2 by Libertyville. The plant cannot be built without petitioning and receiving Special Use zoning from the village. There are presently 5 schools and 22 neighborhoods within 3 miles. This type of heavy industry is incompatible with surrounding neighborhoods.

 
• Greenfields vs. Brownfields: Holes in the ground at the site evidence Indeck's concern that the soils be pollution free to avoid any possibly ground contamination clean-up cost liability. We favor siting industrial facilities on ground that already shows the scars of industry rather than sacrificing virgin soil, and productive wetlands. It is not in the public interest to promote new industry that destroys our rich soils while used industrial sites are abandoned and languish.

 
• Noise: This type of "peaker" power plant uses huge jet engines, and operates them daily throughout the summer - up to 2,000 hours. The noise will be a dull roar within a quarter mile, and audible within 3 miles.

 
• Pollution: This plant will release over 300 tons of regulated pollutants into the air we breathe. This includes 173 tons of smog forming NO_X (nitrous oxides), 105 tons of poisonous CO (carbon monoxide), 20 tons of choking PM10 (particulate matter), and 10 tons of corrosive SO₂ (sulfur dioxide). Although this plant would pollute less than the filthy coal plants in operation in Illinois, it would still release over 100,000 tons of global warming CO₂ per year during its 2,000 hours of permitted operation. There are better options: electricity conservation, efficiency, renewables.

 
• Employment: The plant will be remotely operable, and provide only 2 jobs.

 
• Loss of Topsoil: The rich topsoil deposited and retained in our region by prairies is unstable when built upon because the organic matter in it decomposes. Development of this site will call for large scale removal of topsoil, with much of it likely shipped off site. In addition, displacement of large amounts of topsoil are likely to result in wind and water erosion carrying the soil off the site, degrading our streams and lakes.

 
• Ugly: Two exhaust stacks rising 70 feet in the air to release their toxic plumes.

 
• Wetlands Destruction: Indeck has applied for a wetlands destruction permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers for 3.151 acres of wetlands. These wetlands will not be replaced locally, and the ecological and hydrological value of the present wetlands will be lost. Instead, Indeck proposes ineffective "in-lieu fee payments" and remote wetland mitigation banking. Historically, less than 40% of mitigation wetlands have survived as wetlands, and only a few percent have any ecological value. The USACOE should enforce section 404 of the clean water act, which requires no net loss of wetlands, and exercise extreme reluctance to resort to mitigation until it is proved to be an effective measure over a significantly long term. Indeck has also failed to present an upland alternative in their application.

 
• Loss of Savannas & Species: The site is presently covered with prairie and groups of trees. Indeck will retain only 30% of the trees, and construction of the massive buildings will obliterate the prairie. The site has a rich native ecosystem where endangered plants and animals might occur. Prairie Dock, Purple Coneflower, Prairie Coneflower, Bergamot, Milkweed, Goldenrod, bunch grasses, hundreds of frogs, and other wildlife live at the site. See Comment Letter for pictures. The endangered species inventory of the site needs to be updated.

 
• Water Consumption: The plant will require around 100,000 gallons of water per day for coolant. This huge requirement will tax our water supply infrastructure, deduct from our allocation of fresh water from Lake Michigan, divert it into the local stormwater treatment system, and the overburdened Des Plaines River. If drawn from the deep aquifer instead, release of radioactive mineral content of the aquifer water becomes a concern. Much of this water will be released as water vapor into the air, possibly initiating fog around busy arterial roads.

• Hazardous Debris: There are several broken tanks on the site which might have released toxic materials into the soils. Disturbance of the soils could mobilize these materials, or further release them into our waters. This should be addressed by the EPA.

• Replace you appliances with more efficient ones. The money you save in electricity bills will pay for your investment in a few years. Air conditioners and refrigerators are the biggest opportunities. Computers now account for 13% of usage. Turn them off when not in use. You can also take advantage of ComEd's high efficiency fluorescent light bulb offer.

 
• Help promote wind energy in our region.

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Send all comments concerning this action alert to the attention of Evan Craig at auk@interaccess.com or call 680-6437.

Every call counts.