Officials concerned about effect of new air rules on Nevada

Judy Odierna

Monday, Nov. 25, 2002 | 11:14 a.m.

Local and state officials and environmentalists are concerned about what the federal government's eased approach to air rules will do to Nevada.

The Bush administration Friday relaxed rules to allow utilities, refineries and manufacturers avoid having to install expensive new anti-pollution equipment when they modernize plants.

A group of Northeastern states, led by New York and Connecticut, said it would challenge the changes in court.

In Nevada officials were studying the new rules to see what they will mean to the state.

"Based on the way the rule reads now, I think we don't have a choice but to implement the program," said Colleen Cripps, chief of the Bureau of Air Quality Planning for the state Division of Environmental Protection. "We need to study this a little bit more to determine what the impact will be."

Only two power plants in Southern Nevada are coal-fired, which produces the most pollution. They are Nevada Power's Reid-Gardner plant near Apex and Mohave Generating Station near Laughlin.

The changes don't mean that every facility is going to change its emissions or increase them, but it would open the door for the possibility in the future, said Ben Prochazka, the Western states field organizer for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, which advocates for environmental and other issues.

"Potentially what it means is that the polluters are being given the opportunity to pollute more," Prochazka said. "It will have a greater impact on the public's health, especially on people who have upper respiratory problems, including asthma and chronic bronchitis."

Prochazka estimated that the Mohave Generating Plant emits more than 21,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and more than 42,000 tons of sulfur dioxide per year and could see an increase of more than 4,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and more than 6,100 tons of sulfur per year.

The emissions of nitrogen oxide for the Reid Gardner plant could increase from more than 9,500 tons per year to more than 16,000 tons per year, Prochazka said. The amount of sulfur dioxide would increase from more than 2,900 tons per year to more than 4,000, he said.

Andrea Smith, spokeswoman for Nevada Power, said she doesn't know where Prochazka's numbers came from, but added that the company does not see the new rules as an excuse to pollute.

"We agree with the EPA's assessment in that this will allow us to better maintain our facility and keep in line with our goal with being an environmentally friendly company," Smith said. "It allows us to have a more routine maintenance schedule and allows us to stick with it."

Meanwhile, the Southern Nevada Water Authority broke ground on a new generating station Friday, but the plant is not expected to be affected by the rule changes. The natural-gas powered plant produces much less pollution than older, coal-burning power plants such as the Mohave Generating Station.

The Silverhawk plant under construction by Phoenix-based Pinnacle West Corp. would produce enough power for about 300 homes, but the water authority signed an agreement earlier this year to buy 25 percent of the plant.

"The 570 megawatts of electricity provided by Silverhawk will be environmentally friendly," Gov. Kenny Guinn said Friday. "The air emissions from Silverhawk meet the best available control technology standard and the dry-cooled system will use one-tenth of the water used by water cooled power plants."

The water authority agreed to fund up to $115 million of the $400 million plant in January. Kay Brothers, water authority deputy general manager, said her agency will receive a reliable source of power at a stable price for the investment.

The plant is scheduled to go online in the summer of 2004.