Florida says no to coal plant

The Florida Public Service Commission today shot down a plan by Florida's largest utility to build a new coal-fired power plant near Everglades National Park.

Gov. Charlie Crist had questioned the plant's location, the National Park Service had raised concerns about air pollution and environmental groups had argued it would increase greenhouse gases at a time when the nation is trying to combat global warming.

In the end what persuaded the Public Service Commission to vote 4-0 against Florida Power & Light was something far more basic: the cost to the utility’s customers. And yes, that includes the cost of controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

Natural gas plants are cheaper to build than coal-fired plants, Commissioner Matthew Carter contended in making the motion to deny the FPL project. Natural gas plants also produce less pollution than coal.

While coal itself costs less than natural gas, Carter said, "if everybody starts building coal plants, the price of coal is going to go up."

Commissioners also expressed concerns that a coal-fired plant is likely to be subject to new regulations limiting carbon emissions -- regulations that FPL itself has endorsed. Building an expensive new coal plant would lock in high prices for utility customers for decades, and the prices could then grow higher if the government begins taxing carbon emissions.

The governor immediately issued a statement saying he was delighted with the decision.

“I applaud the Florida Public Service Commission’s decision to deny Florida Power & Light Company’s petition seeking approval to construct a coal-fired power plant in Glades County," Gov. Crist said in a news release. "The Public Service Commission today made the right decision for the environment, the right decision for the Everglades and the right decision for Florida."

"This is a major milestone, both for Florida and the nation, in taking the first steps to deal with pollution that causes global warming," said Earthjustice attorney David Guest, who represented some of the environmental groups opposing the plant. "Coal generates twice as much greenhouse gas as any other fuel. Finally, the PSC is acknowledging that global warming is a critical issue in Florida."

An FPL spokeswoman said the utility would have a comment about the matter later today.

Look for full coverage of this issue in Wednesday's St. Petersburg Times. For an in-depth look at the issue of Florida utilities' turn back to coal as a fuel source, click on:

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/05/Business/State_of_energy.shtml

--Craig Pittman

Comments

[john]

I see the ads on tv touting the advantages of clean-burning coal. Is there such a coal available ?