User Rating: / 0 Poor Best LAS VEGAS (AP) A tiny Native American reservation outside LasVegas is trying to persuade the federal government that itscommunity faces serious health risks from a nearby coal-fired powerplant by appealing to a nationwide campaign to increase visibilityat national parks. The Moapa Paiute tribe has 300 members, roughly half of whom liveon the reservation bordering the Reid Gardner Generating Station inrural southern Nevada. For years, tribe members have complained ofskin irritation, lung disease, thyroid problems, aggravated asthma,cardiovascular and heart disease and frequent nose bleeds. Theirinsistence that these health woes can be linked to the foul airpouring from the plant s multiple smoke stacks have long beenignored, largely because there is no direct medical evidence toback up their claims. The tribe is hoping to get its voice heard on Thursday, when theU.S.
Environmental Protection Agency holds its first public hearingon the coal plant at the reservation. The meeting is part of anongoing effort to improve visibility at national parks andwilderness areas by curbing pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Reid Gardner plant affects visibility at five national parks,including the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Zion in Utah and Joshua TreeNational Monument in California, according to the EPA. The agencyhas already approved new air pollution limits for nitrogen oxideemissions at Nevada s two other coal-fired power plants. Butnumerous complaints involving the Reid Gardner plant prompted theagency to hold public hearings in the area Thursday to fieldconcerns from community members who don t want to see the45-year-old facility upgraded.
They prefer it be shut downpermanently. Under the 1977 Clean Air Act, the EPA has been ordering coal plantsto embrace new technologies and equipment designed to reducepollutants that obscure visibility of the nation s many stunningvistas and natural landscapes. In the West, average visibility has dropped from 140 miles tobetween 35 to 90 miles. The goal is to protect what visibilityremains, said Colleen McKaughan, an associate director in theEPA s air division. That haze obscures the scenery, especially out here in the Westwhere a lot of people come to see the vistas, she said. LED Recessed Ceiling Lights
McKaughan said Thursday s meetings were not intended to addressanecdotal health complaints. Still, she said the EPA is generallyinterested in valid health problems caused by pollution. We understand why they would prefer not to breathe this stuff. Wetotally get it, she said. LED Panel Lights Manufacturer
When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogenoxides and mercury compounds are released into the air, accordingto the EPA. Research has shown those fine particles can be linkedto serious health problems, including premature death. But the Moapa Paiute tribe can only rely on general data to back uptheir claims. Despite their health concerns, the tribe has beenunsuccessful in persuading local, state and federal healthofficials to investigate their complaints. China COB LED Downlight
The lack of direct evidence has stroked accusations that thetribe s medical problems have been exaggerated by environmentalactivists who want to see the coal plant shuttered. Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins, who represents Moapa, saidthe plant creates much needed jobs and tax dollars for the area. They are using those Indians as a vehicle to shut down theplant, Collins said of the Sierra Club. As long as they arecomplying with the laws, (the plant) benefits the entirecommunity. The Reid Gardner facility provides enough electricity to power335,000 Nevada households, according to NV Energy, the utilitycompany that operates the plant.
Under the EPA proposal, NV Energywould have five years to install nitrogen oxide burners, instead ofmore expensive selective catalytic emissions scrubbers thatenvironmentalists claim do a better job of reducing emissions. NV Energy has completed a series of upgrades at the plant in recentyears aimed at reducing emissions. The utility worked with thestate and the EPA to come up with the new emission limits. We will continue our commitment to operate the Reid Gardnerstation in an environmentally responsible manner, in compliancewith all federal and state laws, and in the best interests of itscustomers, said spokesman Mark Severts. Opponents argue the EPA s air pollution limits fall far short ofprotecting public health.
They built these smoke stacks on top of the housing where thesepeople live full-time, said Jane Feldman, conservation chair ofthe Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club. The tribe s concerns focus largely on air quality, but coal plantscan create other environmental troubles, according to the EPA.Runoff water can sweep heavy metals from the coal into nearbybodies of water. The Muddy River near the plant feeds into LakeMead, the massive reservoir that serves Mexico, California, Nevadaand Arizona. Second-rate pollution control is not good enough here, said DanGalpern, a lawyer representing the tribe and the Sierra Club inNevada.
Environmental Protection Agency holds its first public hearingon the coal plant at the reservation. The meeting is part of anongoing effort to improve visibility at national parks andwilderness areas by curbing pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Reid Gardner plant affects visibility at five national parks,including the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Zion in Utah and Joshua TreeNational Monument in California, according to the EPA. The agencyhas already approved new air pollution limits for nitrogen oxideemissions at Nevada s two other coal-fired power plants. Butnumerous complaints involving the Reid Gardner plant prompted theagency to hold public hearings in the area Thursday to fieldconcerns from community members who don t want to see the45-year-old facility upgraded.
They prefer it be shut downpermanently. Under the 1977 Clean Air Act, the EPA has been ordering coal plantsto embrace new technologies and equipment designed to reducepollutants that obscure visibility of the nation s many stunningvistas and natural landscapes. In the West, average visibility has dropped from 140 miles tobetween 35 to 90 miles. The goal is to protect what visibilityremains, said Colleen McKaughan, an associate director in theEPA s air division. That haze obscures the scenery, especially out here in the Westwhere a lot of people come to see the vistas, she said. LED Recessed Ceiling Lights
McKaughan said Thursday s meetings were not intended to addressanecdotal health complaints. Still, she said the EPA is generallyinterested in valid health problems caused by pollution. We understand why they would prefer not to breathe this stuff. Wetotally get it, she said. LED Panel Lights Manufacturer
When coal is burned, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogenoxides and mercury compounds are released into the air, accordingto the EPA. Research has shown those fine particles can be linkedto serious health problems, including premature death. But the Moapa Paiute tribe can only rely on general data to back uptheir claims. Despite their health concerns, the tribe has beenunsuccessful in persuading local, state and federal healthofficials to investigate their complaints. China COB LED Downlight
The lack of direct evidence has stroked accusations that thetribe s medical problems have been exaggerated by environmentalactivists who want to see the coal plant shuttered. Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins, who represents Moapa, saidthe plant creates much needed jobs and tax dollars for the area. They are using those Indians as a vehicle to shut down theplant, Collins said of the Sierra Club. As long as they arecomplying with the laws, (the plant) benefits the entirecommunity. The Reid Gardner facility provides enough electricity to power335,000 Nevada households, according to NV Energy, the utilitycompany that operates the plant.
Under the EPA proposal, NV Energywould have five years to install nitrogen oxide burners, instead ofmore expensive selective catalytic emissions scrubbers thatenvironmentalists claim do a better job of reducing emissions. NV Energy has completed a series of upgrades at the plant in recentyears aimed at reducing emissions. The utility worked with thestate and the EPA to come up with the new emission limits. We will continue our commitment to operate the Reid Gardnerstation in an environmentally responsible manner, in compliancewith all federal and state laws, and in the best interests of itscustomers, said spokesman Mark Severts. Opponents argue the EPA s air pollution limits fall far short ofprotecting public health.
They built these smoke stacks on top of the housing where thesepeople live full-time, said Jane Feldman, conservation chair ofthe Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club. The tribe s concerns focus largely on air quality, but coal plantscan create other environmental troubles, according to the EPA.Runoff water can sweep heavy metals from the coal into nearbybodies of water. The Muddy River near the plant feeds into LakeMead, the massive reservoir that serves Mexico, California, Nevadaand Arizona. Second-rate pollution control is not good enough here, said DanGalpern, a lawyer representing the tribe and the Sierra Club inNevada.
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