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Statement to the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Regarding the Health Effects of  Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions

August 5, 2008

Good morning.  My name is Alaine Ball and I work with 1Sky New Mexico, a chapter of the national 1Sky campaign working to solve climate change issues.  I would like to take a few minutes to talk about coal combustion emissions.  1Sky is currently working with Physicians for Social Responsibility on a report scheduled for release in late September highlighting the devastating burden placed on public health by coal fired-power plant emissions.  With over 1,400 coal plants operating nation-wide and over 100 more either under construction or on the drawing board, educating the public, health care practitioners, and policy makers about the cost to human health from coal plant emissions is crucial.

In addition to emitting over 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide—or 40% of total U.S. carbon emissions—each year, coal plants are known to release over 67 different toxins, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and particulate matter.  Coal plants are responsible for 87 percent of  utility-related NOx emissions in the United States; after release into the atmosphere, NOx reacts with volatile organic compounds to form low-level ozone, which causes lung tissue damage, reduced lung capacity, worsening of asthma, and leads to increased hospitalization rates.  Notably, ozone levels in communities adjacent to two coal-fired power plants in northwest New Mexico have recently reached the maximum levels permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Coal plants are responsible for 94 percent of utility-related sulfur dioxide emissions.  Direct exposure to SO2 can lead to a worsening of asthma, respiratory disease, and heart disease.  However, the formation of secondary particulate matter in the atmosphere from both SO2 and NOx poses the greatest threat to public health, especially in terms of premature mortality.  Particulate matter, especially fine secondary particulate matter, causes lung damage, worsening of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma and leads to an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks, and premature death.  Fine particle pollution from coal-fired power plants in the United States has been associated with 24,000 premature deaths annually, including 2,800 from lung cancer.

Coal plants are responsible for roughly 98 percent of utility-related mercury pollution and are the single largest source of mercury emissions in the U.S.  New Mexico already has the highest concentration of airborne mercury in the United States, and the proposed Desert Rock plant is projected to add as much as 500 pounds per year.  Fetal exposure to mercury can result in a range of developmental problems, including mental retardation, brain damage, and limb deformities, and up to 600,000 children are born each year with unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies.

Finally, the World Health Organization has estimated that climate change, primarily due to human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, accounts for at least 150,000 deaths each year worldwide.  This summer, I have worked with student interns to address the contribution of coal to climate change and to research these health effects.  1Sky also works closely with the Energy Action Coalition, an alliance of 48 student organizations that will be holding events around the country this Fall calling for a moratorium on coal-fired power plants. 

There is a growing movement among young people to phase out coal plants, and we urge the PRC to meet the demands of new growth by supporting increased efficiency and renewables.  We support a moratorium on the building of new coal-fired power plants, and we believe the PRC should do everything in its power to phase out current coal-fired power plants.  New Mexico cannot afford to subject its citizens to greater levels of these pollutants or to contribute to already through-the-roof carbon emissions. 

Thank you.