| Riverside
Fact Sheet
back to Riverside Overview Owned and operated by Xcel
Energy
3100
Marshall Street NE
Minneapolis,
MN 55418
Emission
Descriptions
Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are emitted when fossil fuels, such as coal, are burned.NOx combine in the presence of sunlight with other organic compounds to form ground-level ozone, or smog. Smog is a powerful lung irritant that can exacerbate asthma and other respiratory problems. It is especially harmful to those who already suffer from respiratory diseases, children and the elderly. Power plants in Minnesota are responsible for 40% of the NOx emissions in the state. Sulfur dioxides, or SO2, are also emitted when fossil fuels are burned. SO2 is the primary component of particulate matter (PM), commonly known as soot. Some of these particles are so small they can travel deep into the lungs where they have adverse impacts on respiratory health. PM is especially dangerous for those with lung diseases (such as asthma and emphysema), for the elderly and for children. PM also contributes to haze, obscuring the visibility of our skylines and cherished recreation areas. Power plants in Minnesota are responsible for 78% of the SO2 emissions in the state. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is emitted from power plants when coal is burned. Mercury is a naturally occurring element in coal and is present in all coal at varying levels. Mercury is released into the air when coal is burned at power plants and settles out downwind of smokestacks where it contaminates lakes, rivers and the fish we eat. Mercury is especially harmful to children and fetuses because it interferes with the development of the nervous system, leading to delayed mental development, learning disabilities, and delayed development or deficiencies in language, motor function, attention and memory. Power plants in Minnesota are responsible for a third of the mercury emissions in the state. The
Minnesota Department of Health has issued 844 fish consumption advisories
specifically for mercury in the state. There are 3,075 river miles covered
by a mercury advisory and almost 1.4 million lake acres. Fish consumption
advisories only warn us from eating contaminated fish; they do not decrease
the amount of mercury in our fish and in our lakes.
Air
Toxics
Recently, electric utilities were required to report their toxic air emissions to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), a key component of the national Community Right to Know Act. Electric utilities in Minnesota are responsible for one third of the total toxic releases in the state. Each year, electric power companies release millions of pounds of heavy metals like mercury, arsenic and lead as well as toxic acid gases. In the TRI report, a release to the environment means releases to air, surface water, on-site land and off-site landfill. The
Minnesota Emergency Response Commission releases a report each year documenting
toxic air emissions from all sources in the state as required by the Community
Right to Know Act. The report also describes the health effects of the
air toxics reported. Below are the descriptions included in the Commission’s
report for the air toxics released at the Riverside plant:
Hydrochloric acid – very corrosive, toxic by ingestion or inhalation; can irritate mouth, nose and throat Nickel
compounds – is a carcinogen and poison
Barium
compounds – irritates eyes, nose and throat
Sulfuric
acid – moderately toxic by ingestion; a severe eye irritant, extremely
irritating, corrosive and toxic to tissue
Manganese
compounds – toxic by inhalation
Hydrogen
fluoride – is a corrosive chemical; can irritate nose, throat and lungs;
causing pulmonary edema; can cause severe burns to skin and eyes, may damage
kidneys and liver
Across
the nation, people are working to address the problems caused by coal-fired
power plants. People in Minnesota are also actively working to clean up
our old power plants and make our communities more healthy.
Minnesota’s
electric utility industry is the single largest source of harmful air emissions
in the state. Coal-fired generation provides nearly 70% of Minnesota’s
electricity. When the Clean Air Act was passed, power plants were exempted
(“grandfathered”) from all but the least restrictive pollution standards
due to heavy pressure from the electric power industry and the understanding
that the older plants would be retired soon. Only part of one plant in
Minnesota is subject to the most stringent provisions of the Clean Air
Act.
Grandfathered plants legally emit pollutants at rates up to 10 times higher than new coal-fired plants. They also enjoy significant cost advantages over new sources of generation. Because these grandfathered plants are not required to install the same pollution control equipment as modern plants, they are operating at an artificially low cost. Cleaning up, retiring or repowering these units with cleaner burning fuels, such as natural gas, will significantly reduce respiratory disease, acid rain, haze and toxic poisoning in the state and in downwind regions. Addressing the grandfathered power plant problem will also mitigate climate change and will help accelerate the introduction of environmentally preferable energy technologies.
Campaign
Group Contacts:
Sarah
Welch, Izaak Walton League of America
(651)
649-1446
Andrea
Kiepe, Clean Water Action Alliance
(612) 623-3666 akiepe@cleanwater.org |