DEC hearing on Ship Creek Power Plant

Civic Duty - The Alaska DEC hearing on the Ship Creek Power Project

This evening, I'll be blogging the DEC hearing - offline unfortunately. The Library is not particularly cyber. The Knik Arm Power Project is actually a Ship Creek project using the old Knik Arm plant by the Ship Creek fish dam.

NOTE: This is one long blog!

There are 50+ people in the room - we're like sardines. But a nice cross section of sardines - old people, young people, very neighborhood-like. Everyone is flipping through the handouts and asking questions among themselves.

7:00 PM - Jim B. is kicking off the hearing right on time. Right now Jim is running through P's and Q's and the agenda. Next up will be the "Ship Creek Energy Center"

Al Copeland (not sure if I have his name right) is now speaking - a misconceptions in the public to be addressed. Ship Creek is owned by Nation's Energy. NE is into highly efficient power plants. They are not a large scale power producer. Their model is refurbing old plants. Ship Creek fits into their model.

"Only similarity to Knik is that occupies the same building."

Good grief - first plan would have required dredging Ship Creek. That plan got splatted. Changed plan. Cooling tower will now be used instead using city water.

Now he's reviewing the technical design. Gas Turbines, steam, etc...

Boiler is only source that can use the used oil. Backup only. Natural Gas is its primary source of power,

Ah - how will the the power be used.

Elmendorf and Fort Rich are going through decommisioning of their power plants. This is being posititioned for that. Also AK Railroad and downtown commercial buildings. Oh - here's the greenie plug - would provide warm water to the fish hatchery.

Here comes air quality. They added another of receptor sites - Government Hill, dowtown, etc so they can look at potential impacts in downtown area.

"Start of the art emission controls." SCR and SCO controls. Done voluntarily - first installation in Alaska. This is why the DEC is so gun ho on the project.

Al is done speaking.

Now Zeena from the DEC is getting ready to speak. Oops - Peg Mentele just spoke up asking if we could move to another room because we're so crowded. No other room is available.

I am having a hard time understanding the presenter - right now she's summarizing inputs. Now a table listing emission rates. Too much detail for me to absorb and summarize.

Now she's discussing the 100 tons per year emission limits for NOx and CO. Classified as Ambient Air Quality.

Oooh - Peg has asked one of the killer questions - if the plant exceeds 100 tons a year can it buy credits from another source. Jim states that if they exceed 100 tons a year, they have to go through yet another approval process - much more stringent. But they can still buy credits. Answer was confusing.

Ah - no more questions can be asked? Too many people signed up to testify.

I really feel sorry for this woman - she seems very nice but is obviously a little nervous. She's probably a technical type who is not really prepared for such a large skeptical audience.

Alaska is divided into Class I and Class II areas - Class I are pristine areas such as State Parks. Class II areas are everywhere else. Something about standards within the Class II area.

Jim has decided to start testimony and cut out the technical questions. I personally would prefer to go through Q & A. There was some grumbling in the audience. Testimony will be limited to 5 minutes per person.

Deadlines for public comments is the 25th of April. They are considering extending the comment period.

Syd is our first testifier. Lived on the Hill since '89. Alaskan since '59. Oppose for several reasons:

• No noise analysis performed. Concerned about noise.
• Read the emission docs - the chemicals smell. They all stink.
• Aesthetic reasons - it is inconsistent with Ship Creek rehabilitation.
• Oooh - raised the acid rain isssue and rehabing water fronts on the East Coast.
• What about other alternative sites.
• Flowers instead of power plant

The audience erupts in applause.

Ronda from MOA: She's a DA. They are reviewing the documents. They will file comments before deadline.

Steve Morris from MOA - they are working on comments. Commented that review time of 11 days prior to this hearing was too short.

Steve Gerlek - background concertrations of emissions. Steve will submit documents showing that their analysis of background emissions is incomplete.:

• Now he's excerpting 40 pages of Government Hill Community Council records going backto '95 (?) documenting air quality issues between the railroad and the Hill.
• Oooh - now he's reading from filed letters to railroad talking about gruesome diesel smells in homes.
• Related the mediation of the EPA.
• Factoid: 6000 truck trips a year through the Ship Creek area.
• Page 29 - RR exhaust log from this Fall.
• Muni (?) recognizes unique microclimate conditions that occur in Ship Creek/Gov Hill area.

"A Synthetic Place that doesn't exist." The modeling is based on collections from Fairview, Elmendorf, and one other site

applause applause applause!

Now my turn! I am nervous!

I did o.k. - my voice shook. I tried to be polite to the DEC folks.

Kathryn Gerlek is up. Related personal experiences.

Valerie from Trustees (and a downtown resident) - finds it unbelievable that they haven't been required to go through PSD (?). The margin of error is just to small. Coastal Zone management act - consistency determination. A power plant will not enhance the coastal zone. Lots and lots of comments about the details of the permit. Too close to the limit to be modeling. Should be looking at actual figures from the area.

Thomas Pease:

• Formal objection to the process - very short notice of the public hearing. Had 14 days to organize the community. 100 + page document. DEC received request from two different councils to delay but were denied.
• Thomas is discouraged because DEC is charged with protecting public health and environment and he feels they failed. Wild applause erupts.
• DEC has stated there are no air monitoring sites in Ship Creek.
• Thomas asked DEC about Compliance insurance- how would the process work and how would DEC monitor. Could end up being a self monitoring system.

Charles Scott:

• Modeling is flawed, time period is too short to evaluate.
• Don't need the project.
• We have adequate power - current utilities are efficient and economical.
• Will affect downtown.

Lois Epstein - engineer representing Cook Inlet Keeper. She lives downtown.

• Not adequate time to review. Quick analysis shows significant concerns.
• Population is too dense for emissions.
• No burning used oil.
• No SO2 from other sources included.
• More good technical stuff that I can't get blogged.

 Due to a techincal fubar, I just lost Susanne's testimony which was very good. drat. I also completely lost the testimoney of Pete from Commercial Recylcing. They object to the ownership and have filed a lawsuit. This was interesting.

Peg Mentel:

• Objects to testifying without having had the opportunity to ask questions.
• I also lost most of Peg's testimoney.

Bob Manley:

• Objects to the lack actual meteorological collection stations.
• Steam plume - height will be an issue. We're higher.
• Waste oil burning - should require testing of waste oil by plant owner.

Jim Dunlap:

• Port of Anchorage and Railroad exists and they're not going anywhere. Williams has right to replace tanks.
• Existing industries will grow. Need to look at future emissions.

Cheryl Richardson - Volunteer Director of Clean Air Commission - lives on West 13th.

• Need more info on air quality for Ship Creek.
• Gets complaints from workers on 2nd Avenue.
• Downtown residents also get "gassed" when winds of 10 mph or more blow from North to the South.
• The muni has been monitoring off of Ocean Dock road this winter.
• Be very cautious about bringing anymore air pollutions generators into Ship Creek.

Pamela Miller - a non-profit on toxic something.

• Want more time - 60 days.
• Opposition - applicant has not demonstrated a clear need for power.
• Find it "ironic" that the emissions of just 100 tons let project avoid classification as a major project.
• Vulnerability of children - there is no safe threshold of Pb (lead).
• Will be submitting detailed written comments.

Dana Olsen - lives in Knik.

• Asserts the public notice is deficient.
• DEC has failed to consider goals and objectives of plant.

There is no one else signed up to testify. Lots of questions about extending the comment period. It is under consideration.

That's all folks...

© Copyright 2005 Stephanie A. Kesler. Last update: 3/5/2005; 10:48:50 PM.