DEAN MARSHALL

Lock Haven

In his recent opinion piece, Dan Vilello claims the Renovo plant “will be one of the cleanest burning plants ever built.”

To bolster his argument, Mr. Vilello wants us to look at three plants in our area that he says will be similar to the one planned for Renovo.

So let’s take a look.

Of the three he mentions, the Patriot plant in Lycoming County seems representative. In 2019, this plant emitted 1,581,574 tons of CO2. It also emitted 89.4 tons of Nitrogen Oxides, and 54.2 tons of Particulate Matter 2.5.

The Patriot plant, at 829 MW, is half the size of the one planned for Renovo.

To get a more accurate picture, let’s take a look at the Lackawanna Energy Center in Jessup, Pa.–a plant that Mr. Vilello does not mention.

At 1480 MW, the Jessup plant is closer in size to Renovo’s 1240 MW. In 2019, the Jessup plant emitted 3,992,035 tons of CO2. It also emitted 185.3 tons of Nitrogen Oxides, and 193.3 tons of Particulate Matter 2.5.

That’s tons per year.

As we know, CO2 is a damaging greenhouse gas. Nitrogen Oxides are linked to respiratory problems, lung disease, weakening of the immune system and increased risk of cancer.

And here’s what the EPA has to say about Particulate Matter: “Health studies have shown a significant association between exposure to particle pollution and health risks, including premature death. Health effects may include cardiovascular effects such as cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks, and respiratory effects such as asthma attacks and bronchitis. Exposure to particle pollution can result in increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits, absences from school or work and restricted activity days, especially for those with pre-existing heart or lung disease, older people and children.”

New evidence also suggests a link between Particulate Matter and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

It’s hard to know what “clean-burning” might mean if the term is being applied to a methane-fired power plant (Renovo’s) projected to emit (per year) 5.5 million tons of greenhouse gases, 300 tons of Nitrogen Oxides and 200 tons of Particulate Matter.

Plus over 100 tons of Volatile Organic Compounds, including formaldehyde, a probable human carcinogen.

When it comes to energy-production, what’s truly clean is what doesn’t burn: renewables.

Think about it.