116 Hamilton Place Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1041 October 26, 1999
	Sierra Club Woods & Wetlands Group

We have been asked to clarify the Sierra Club policy on the deployment and siting of natural gas power plants. Club policy on this issue has been clear since 1978, and will be highlighted below. We are deeply concerned by the impact that one of these plants would produce on the local ecology, and by the number of them presently being proposed in our region. As a result of deregulation of electric power in Illinois the market has been opened to any company wishing to become a power generator, and the scrutiny previously applied during the tightly controlled siting process has not been effectively assumed by other agencies responsible for protecting our environment, notably the IL EPA.  We feel that this must be corrected immediately.

We have been careful, however, not to overstate our case and miss any opportunity to make incremental improvements in our air quality that these plants might enable. Presently most electricity in Illinois is generated using nuclear and coal. The nuclear plants risk catastrophic release of radioactive material into the environment, and produce radioactive waste that will perpetuate this risk for generations to come, and we oppose their further operation. Many coal plants in operation in Illinois were in operation before passage of the Clean Air Act 27 years ago, and continue to exploit their grandfathered privilege to operate in violation of it at great detriment to our air quality.

We favor conservation and implementation of high efficiency equipment as the first and most cost effective approach to reducing pollution from our energy sources. By choosing more efficient appliances, and replacing old wasteful ones, we can cut the present power demands, and the pollution generated, by over one third. Meanwhile, the reduced operation costs will pay back consumers for the new equipment in only a few years, without compromising the level of service enjoyed.

As a secondary approach, we recognize that replacing outdated power plant technology with less polluting ones might reduce the total pollution produced. Alternative power sources, such as wind, solar, and biomass, promise to accomplish this while freeing us from the dreadful consequences of both fossil and nuclear fuel use. Natural gas power plants, which still use fossil fuel, and generate enormous amounts of air pollution, nevertheless produce far less than coal power plants. Because of this, we feel they might have a role in reducing or ending the operation of the present coal and nuclear plants, and hesitate to oppose them.

However, proposed siting of these plants has so far violated Club Policy, particularly Item 1, clauses a, g, h, and k; Item 2; Item 5; and Item 8. These address: proximity to natural areas, habitats of endangered species and ecosystems, exhausting aquifers; established need; protection of air and water quality; and the absence of state oversight and statewide land-use planning in siting.

Sincerely, Evan L. Craig Chair