Wisconsin and coal

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Introduction

Wisconsin had 70 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 7,123 MW of capacity - representing 42.5% of the state's total electric generation capacity.

In 2006, Wisconsin's coal-fired power plants produced 43.7 million tons of CO₂, 185,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 65,000 tons of nitrogen oxide; coal-fired power plants were responsible for 41.7% of the state's total CO₂ emissions. In 2005, Wisconsin emitted 18.9 tons of CO₂ per person; the state had the 29th highest per capita level of CO₂ emissions.

No coal was mined in Wisconsin in 2006. Thus, the state relies on coal imports from Wyoming, Appalachia, and southern Illinois; the state imported 27 million tons of coal in 2005.

DNR issues Air Quality Watch for entire state of Wisconsin

On February 9, 2009, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an Air Quality Watch for Particle Pollution for the entire state. The watch was issued based on a forecast for elevated levels of fine particles in the air. Fine particle pollution, which is comprised of microscopic dust, soot, liquid droplets and smoke particles smaller than 2.5 microns, originate mainly from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories, vehicle exhaust, and wood burning.

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The Air Quality Index was expected to reach the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people with heart or lung diseases, older adults, and children. The DNR advised people in these groups reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities during the watch period.

Governor Doyle announces coal phase-out at UW

In February 2009, Governor Jim Doyle announced that the University of Wisconsin's Charter Street Heating Plant will phase out coal. Gov. Doyle said that a biomass boiler will be installed by 2012 in an effort to generate 25 percent of the state's energy from renewable resources by the year 2025. The over $200 million investment will eliminate the burning of over 100 tons of coal.

Explosion at We Energy's Oak Creek power plant

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On February 4, 2009, six people were injured during an explosion and fire at the Oak Creek power plant owned by Wisconsin Energy (WE). The explosion occurred at a plant silo used to collect dust after coal is dumped into the hopper. All of the people hurt were contractors working in the hopper at the time. The most severely burned patient suffered second- and third-degree burns on his hands, face and back.

The company is currently building two new units of 615 MW in at the plant, but said the area where the explosion occurred was not part of the new construction on the facility.

Governor Doyle retires two coal plants

In August, 2008, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced that two aging coal plants, the Charter Street Heating Plant and the Capitol Heat and Power Plant, both located in Dane County, will be shut down and replaced with cleaner systems. The decision followed legal action and grassroots protests and lobbying by members of the Sierra Club, students at the University of Wisconsin, and other activists. August 2008

Oak Creek permit settlement uncertain

Environmental groups refused to revise a deal to settle litigation over Oak Creek Units 1 & 2 to address concerns raised by state regulators. The proposed settlement would see the Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin drop their challenge to environmental permits issued for the project, in exchange for a WE commitment to fund environmental projects in Lake Michigan and expand renewable energy projects in the state. Under the agreement, We Energies, Madison Gas & Electric Co., and WPPI Energy would spend $4 million per year for 25 years on projects to improve water quality in Lake Michigan. An additional $5 million would be allocated to create a nonprofit group focused on efforts to reduce global warming emissions. PSC regulators are hesitant to raise customer rates to fund the Lake Michigan projects, which could prompt the environmental groups to revive their lawsuits. If the groups win, the cost of litigation could add more than $1 billion to the cost of the power plant, as opposed to the $100 million cost of the settlement.

Proposed coal plants

Cancelled

• E.J. Stoneman Expansion, Cassville, WI
• Nelson Dewey Generating Facility, Cassville, WI

Operating

• Oak Creek Units 1 & 2, Oak Creek, WI
• Weston Unit 4, Wausau, WI

Coal power companies

• Alliant Energy
  • Headquarters in Madison, WI
  • Owner of Wisconsin Power & Light Company
  • 21st biggest coal energy producer in U.S.
  • Controls 30 coal-fired generating stations with 4055 MW total capacity
  • Active proposals: Nelson Dewey Generating Facility, Sutherland Generating Station Unit 4
• We Energies
  • Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI
  • Owner of Wisconsin Electric Power Company
  • 28th biggest coal energy producer in U.S.
  • Controls 19 coal-fired generating stations with 3339 MW total capacity
  • Active proposals: Oak Creek Units 1 & 2
• Dairyland Power Cooperative
  • Headquarters in La Crosse, WI
  • Controls 7 coal-fired generating stations with 914 MW total capacity
• Wisconsin Public Service, owned by Integrys
• Ft. James Operating Co., owned by Koch Industries
• Madison Gas & Electric

Existing coal plants

Wisconsin had 70 coal-fired power units at 27 locations in 2005, with 7,123 megawatts (MW) of capacity.

Click on the locations shown on the Wisconsin map for plant details:

Here is a list of coal power plants in Wisconsin with capacity over 400 MW:

Plant Name	County	Owner	Year(s) Built	Capacity	2006 SO2 Emissions	SO2/MW Rank
Pleasant Prairie	Kenosha	Wisconsin Energy	1980, 1985	1233 MW	28,566 tons	120
South Oak Creek	Milwaukee	Wisconsin Energy	1959-67	1192 MW	13,594 tons	198
Columbia	Columbia	Alliant Energy	1975, 1978	1023 MW	22,396 tons	145
Edgewater	Sheboygan	Alliant Energy	1951, 1969, 1985	770 MW	15,759 tons	128
Weston	Marathon	Integrys	1954-60, 1981	492 MW	12,596 tons	127
Pulliam	Brown	Integrys	1943-64	410 MW	10,869 tons	100
Oak Creek	Brown	Wisconsin Energy	2010, 2011	1230 MW		100

These six plants represent 71.9% of Wisconsin's coal energy generating capacity.

Coal Ash Waste and Water Contamination

In August 2010 a study released by the Environmental Integrity Project, the Sierra Club and Earthjustice reported that Wisconsin, along with 34 states, had significant groundwater contamination from coal ash that was not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report, in an attempt to pressure the EPA to regulate coal ash, noted that most states do not monitor drinking water contamination levels near waste disposal sites. The report mentioned Wisconsin's Columbia Energy Center and Oak Creek Power Plant as two sites that have groundwater contamination due to coal ash waste.

Wisconsin May Shut Down Five Coal Plants

In 2007 the Sierra Club challenged the State of Wisconsin over pollution emissions from five of its state-run coal plants used to provide heat and power to four state-run university buildings and one hospital. The plants include those that function at UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and Mendota Mental Health Institute. The State's Department of Natural Resources sided with the Sierra Club, and now the state of Wisconsin has to decide on whether or not to install pollution-control equipment to greatly reduce emissions, or reduce the use of coal all together. As decision is to be made by spring 2010.

The Sierra Club alleged that the millions of dollars in upgrades made at these facilities were significant and actually increased the potential for the plants to emit more pollution.

Major coal mines

There are currently no coal mines in Wisconsin.

Citizen groups

• Clean Wisconsin
• Sierra Club John Muir Chapter
• Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Business groups

• Wisconsin Climate Change Action Initiative

Resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• William D. Harvey
• EPA Coal Plant Settlements
• Existing U.S. Coal Mines
• Existing U.S. Coal Plants
• US proposed coal plants (both active and cancelled)
• Coal plants cancelled in 2007
• Coal plants cancelled in 2008
• Profiles of other states (or click on the map)

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External links

• Todd Richmond, Wisconsin regulators say no to new power plant, Associated Press, November 11, 2008. "State regulators Tuesday unanimously rejected a plan to build a new coal-fired power plant in southwestern Wisconsin, calling it too expensive. Alliant Energy subsidiary Wisconsin Power & Light wanted to build the plant in Cassville, a town of about 1,100 people on the Mississippi River in Grant County."