Alliant Energy
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| Type | Public (NYSE: LNT) |
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| Headquarters | 4902 North Biltmore Ln. Madison, WI 53718 |
| Area served | IA, MN, WI |
| Key people | William D. Harvey, CEO |
| Industry | Electric Producer and Utility; Natural Gas Utility |
| Products | Electricity, Natural Gas |
| Revenue | $3.44 billion (2007)[1] |
| Net income | ▲ $425.3 million (2007)[1] |
| Employees | 5,179 (2007) |
| Subsidiaries | Interstate Power & Light (IA) Wisconsin Power & Light (WI) Industrial Energy Applications RMT Inc. WindConnect Alliant Energy Transportation |
| Website | AlliantEnergy.com |
Alliant Energy produces electricity and sells electricity and natural gas to customers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin - as well as providing transportation and environmental engineering and consulting.
Contents
Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
Alliant Energy has been a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). It sponsored ALEC's 1998 annual meeting.[2] Please see ALEC Corporations for more.
The company confirmed to Greenpeace in May 2014 that it had cut ties to ALEC.[3] Please see Corporations that Have Cut Ties to ALEC for more.
| About ALEC |
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ALEC is a corporate bill mill. It is not just a lobby or a front group; it is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, corporations hand state legislators their wishlists to benefit their bottom line. Corporations fund almost all of ALEC's operations. They pay for a seat on ALEC task forces where corporate lobbyists and special interest reps vote with elected officials to approve “model” bills. Learn more at the Center for Media and Democracy's ALECexposed.org, and check out breaking news on our ExposedbyCMD.org site.
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Lawsuit by Sierra Club
In March of 2008 Alliant Energy based in Madison, Wisconsin received a notice of intent to sue from the Sierra Club. The notice claimed that the company did not file applications for air permit renewal on a timely basis and in doing so violated the Clean Air Act. In 2009, as a result of pressure from the Sierra Club and others, the federal government revoked its permit to the Columbia Energy Center. The result could mean that Alliant will be forced to install pollution reduction equipment or it could mean shutting down the facility for good.[4]
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CEO compensation
In May 2007, Forbes listed William D. Harvey as receiving $3.66 million in total compensation for the latest fiscal year. He ranked 26th on the list of CEOs in the Utilities industry, and 350th among all CEOs in the United States.[5]
Power portfolio
Out of its total 7,252 MW of electric generating capacity (0.67% of the U.S. total), Alliant Energy gets 55.9% from coal, 28.3% from natural gas, 8.2% from nuclear, 6.7% from oil, and 0.5% from hydroelectric. Alliant owns power plants in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.[6]
Coal lobbying
Alliant is a member of American Coal Ash Association (ACAA), an umbrella lobbying group for all coal ash interests that includes major coal burners Duke Energy, Southern Company and American Electric Power as well as dozens of other companies. The group argues that the so-called "beneficial-use industry" would be eliminated if a "hazardous" designation was given for coal ash waste.[7]
ACAA set up a front group called Citizens for Recycling First, which argues that using toxic coal ash as fill in other products is safe, despite evidence to the contrary.[7]
Existing coal-fired power plants
Alliant Energy had 30 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 4,055 MW of capacity. Here is a list of Alliant's coal power plants with capacity over 100 MW:[6][8][9]
| Plant Name | State | County | Year(s) Built | Capacity | 2007 CO2 Emissions | 2006 SO2 Emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | WI | Columbia | 1975, 1978 | 1023 MW | 8,565,000 tons | 22,396 tons |
| Dubuque | WI | Columbia | 1929, 1952, 1959 | 81.2 MW | 407,386 tons | 1,209 tons |
| Edgewater | WI | Sheboygan | 1951, 1969, 1985 | 770 MW | 5,394,000 tons | 15,759 tons |
| Ottumwa | IA | Wapello | 1981 | 726 MW | 4,984,000 tons | 14,172 tons |
| Lansing | IA | Allamakee | 1948, 1949, 1957, 1977 | 339 MW | 1,708,000 tons | 5,214 tons |
| Prairie Creek | IA | Linn | 1951, 9158, 1967, 1997 | 245 MW | 1,714,000 tons | 4,735 tons |
| Kapp | IA | Clinton | 1967 | 218 MW | 1,457,000 tons | 5,989 tons |
| Burlington | IA | Des Moines | 1968 | 212 MW | 1,432,000 tons | 6,309 tons |
| Nelson Dewey | WI | Grant | 1959, 1962 | 200 MW | 1,625,000 tons | 3,836 tons |
| Sixth Street | WI | Grant | 1921, 1925, 1930, 1942, 1945, 1950 | 200 MW | 581,540 tons | 1,516 tons |
| Sutherland | IA | Marshall | 1955, 1961 | 84.7 MW | 1,178,000 tons | 7,453 tons |
In 2005, these 9 coal-fired power plants emitted 28.1 million tons of CO2 (0.5% of all U.S. CO2 emissions) and 86,000 tons of SO2 (0.6% of all U.S. SO2 emissions).
Coal plant closures
Alliant cancels proposed Iowa plant
On March 5, 2009 Alliant subsidiary Interstate Power and Light Company announced that it was cancelling the proposed Sutherland Generating Station Unit 4. The company said the decision was based on a combination of factors, including the financial climate and concerns about the possibility of future regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.[10]
2010: Alliant to close coal boilers at six sites
According to plans filed with the Minnesota Public Service Commission on November 1, 2010, Alliant Energy plans to close coal-fired boilers at six sites in Iowa:[11]
- Sixth Street Generating Station (all units) (Cedar Rapids)
- Prairie Creek Generating Station Unit 2 (Cedar Rapids)
- Dubuque Generating Station Unit 2
- Lansing Power Station Units 2 and 3
- Milton Kapp Generating Station Unit 1 (Clinton)
- Sutherland Generating Station Unit 2 (Marshalltown)
The plan also designates two boilers at Dubuque Generating Station and another at the Sutherland Generating Station for retirement in 2015. Of this list, only one boiler (Lansing 3) is currently operational, and the replacement generation will come in significant part from running newer coal boilers at higher capacity.[11]
Proposed gas plant
As of April 2011, Alliant Energy is debating a natural gas plant for Iowa. Natural gas emerged as a possibility after the utility revised its future power-production projection downward, going from needing an additional 300 megawatts by roughly 2013 to 200 megawatts by 2025. Less demand has made the company consider natural gas, although the company has said it would not rule out a new coal plant later.[12]
Articles and Resources
Related SourceWatch Articles
- William D. Harvey
- Iowa and coal
- Wisconsin and coal
- United States and coal
- Global warming
- Darryl B. Hazel - Board member
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alliant Energy Corp., BusinessWeek Company Insight Center, accessed July 2008.
- ↑ American Legislative Exchange Council, ALEC 25th Annual Meeting Agenda, organizational document, August 18-22, 1998, accessed via the Tobacco Library.
- ↑ Greenpeace, Greenpeace Confirms Six Utilities Quietly Dumped ALEC, organizational blog post, May 1, 2014.
- ↑ Sean Ryan, " The Daily Reporter, November 5, 2009.
- ↑ CEO Compensation: #350 William D Harvey, Forbes.com, May 3, 2007.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration, accessed April 2008.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Coal-Fired Utilities to American Public: Kiss my Ash DeSmogBlog.com & PolluterWatch, October 27, 2010.
- ↑ Environmental Integrity Project, Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants, July 2007.
- ↑ Dig Deeper, Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed June 2008.
- ↑ "Plans cancelled for proposed Sutherland Generating Station Unit 4 hybrid power plant," Alliant Energy, March 5, 2009.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Carrie Lowry La Seur, "Alliant to Close Coal Boilers at 7 Sites Across Iowa" Plains Justice Today, Nov. 8, 2010.
- ↑ Perry Beeman, "Utilities seek two plants; does Iowa need them?" Des Moines Register, April 25, 2011.
