Great River Energy provides TRI data to public
Elk River, MN (June 4, 1999) - Today in Underwood, North Dakota, Great River Energy, a generation and transmission cooperative, announced the results of its Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data reporting which will be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency on July 1. The TRI program requires industries to file annual reports on their releases of any of approximately 650 chemicals to the air, water, and land at its power plant facilities. This is the first year electric utilities have been required to report TRI data for the power plants.
“We believe it is important to provide this data to the EPA and our surrounding communities,” says Mary Jo Roth, Great River Energy Manager of Environmental Services. “TRI is a change in the way we report data about emissions, but not a change in the way we operate our plants.”
TRI was passed by the federal government in 1986 as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. It was intended to provide information to the public on releases from industrial sources such as chemical plants. Congress did not include electric utilities in the original TRI program. However, in 1997, the Clinton administration brought electric utilities and several other industries into the program. Power plants that process and release any of the 650 substances in quantities of at least 25,000 pounds or “otherwise uses” one of the substances in quantities of at least 10,000 pounds must make a report. Therefore, most coal-fired and oil-fired power plants will be reporting release data under TRI.
Great River Energy is reporting TRI data for its two coal-fired power plant facilities, both of which are located in North Dakota. They are Coal Creek Station, a 1081 MW coal-fired plant located near Underwood and Stanton Station, a 186 MW coal-fired plant located near Stanton.
“The communities surrounding our power plants have the right to know how we operate our power plants and manage the releases, “says Roth. “We’re proud of our environmental record. Our TRI data show that we are handling the chemicals on-site in a responsible manner. We will continue generating the electricity our customers have come to depend on using an approach designed to minimize impact on the environment.”
Only fifteen of the more than 650 listed TRI chemicals are found on-site at Coal Creek Station and Stanton Station and must be reported. Eighty-nine percent of those are contained in ash which is released to the land, that is, to controlled landfills or other disposal facilities. These facilities are permitted and monitored for compliance by the North Dakota Department of Health.
The remaining 11 percent of the releases leave the plant through the 650 foot chimneys, which disperse these emissions in order to reduce human exposure. These releases are in low concentrations that comply with plant operating permit requirements, designed to protect people and the environment.
“Great River Energy meets or exceeds federal and state regulations concerning releases to the environment,” says Rick Lancaster, vice president of public affairs. “Because of this, we feel very confident that these releases pose no health threat.”
Since 1978, more than $160 million has been spent by Great River Energy on environmental measures and operational controls at Coal Creek Station and Stanton Station. The company is constantly looking for ways to improve the performance of its operations while meeting and exceeding environmental laws and regulations.
In December, 1998, Great River Energy became only the fourth electric utility in the nation to receive its ISO 14001 certification at one of its power plants, Coal Creek Station. ISO 14001 is an international standard of certification for the implementation of an environmental management system for continuous operational improvement. ISO 14001 certification will also be sought for other Great River Energy generating facilities.
Great River Energy is a generation and transmission cooperative selling wholesale electricity and services to 29 distribution cooperatives in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Great River Energy member cooperatives serve approximately 1.2 million people.
