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Johnson Blames 'Environmental Extremists' For Baard Energy's Failure to Build Plant
By Jeremy Lydic
WELLSVILLE, Ohio -- The Natural Resources Defense Council takes exception to comments by U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-6 Ohio, saying its actions against the now defunct Baard Energy coal liquefaction plant (READ STORY) were "anything but extremist."
On Wednesday Johnson's office issued a blistering statement.
"Instead of allowing a proven and time-tested coal-to-liquid technique to move forward, environmental extremists would rather advance the [Obama] Administration's war on coal and assault Ohio's coal industry and the jobs that go with it," the freshman Republican said in his prepared statement. "However, America's energy security and putting Ohioans back to work are far too important to let this vital project fail. It is important to take an 'all of the above' approach to energy independence, and it is important for job creation for the people of eastern and southeastern Ohio, which is why I hope this project continues with the use of natural gas."
Since arriving in Congress, Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for the coal industry. Most recently he criticized the proposed "Stream Buffer Rule" and other regulations, which would "cost thousands of direct and indirect jobs," he said.
"In the parts of eastern and southeastern Ohio that I represent, we have double-digit unemployment reaching as high as 12.7%," he explained. "There are entire communities that depend largely on the coal industry -- for both direct and indirect jobs -- that would be devastated by this proposed rules change."
Fisk argues the Natural Resources Defense Council opposed the proposed plant because "we felt did not comply with environmental laws and did not meet the important public health standards." He said the NRDC entered into the agreement to stay challenges against the building permits after Planck removed from the table "a truly disastrous idea" of a coal liquefaction plant, thus reducing climate-changing emissions, about 2,000 tons of other pollutants annually, and avoiding about nine million tons of coal mining per year.
"I find it disturbing that the thought of enforcing environmental laws that are designed to protect public health and our environment is somehow 'extremist,' " Fisk said. "Enforcing our Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act that ensures that we have a healthy and safe environment for our children is a completely reasonable thing to do, and there's nothing at all extremist about that."
Taking coal out of the process reduces potential carbon dioxide emissions by 75%, sulfur dioxide pollutants by as little as 15%, some by as much as 90%.
Moreover,Fisk argues further that the project wasn't economically viable, citing Baard's difficulty in securing financing the building permits it needed were issued.
"The company now has acknowledged that they need to move on to a different idea," he said. "I think it is really a sign that coal-to-liquids is not economically viable technology for Ohio or for the country in general."
Fisk said the NRDC will closely monitor the modification process of the building permits to ensure they reflect the foundation of the settlement.
"As long as they apply for and obtain permits that reflect the removal of coal from the process and the emissions reductions that are expected from that removal of coal, we're not going to legally challenge any of the permits for the facility," Fisk said. "That is the tradeoff we agreed to in order to get these significant reductions."
Still, that doesn't mean the NRDC is happy with the idea of a natural gas liquefaction plant. NRDC spokesman Josh Mogerman said, "There are legitimate questions about where there's a real need for this refinery." He questioned whether the plant would be self-sufficient and keep good jobs in the community. But he recognizes the good that Planck's shift to natural gas brings.
"Natural gas is an important bridge fuel," Mogerman said. "As we begin to shift away from our focus on fossil fuels and toward a cleaner-energy economy, natural gas is potentially an important and abundant fuel source that we can use to make that transition."
Mogerman stresses the importance of how natural gas is extracted, referring to the dispute surrounding hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process used in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions. As Planck proceeds with modification, Mogerman said the NRDC will pay attention to the way the company plans to source the natural gas it would use in the proposed plant.
"Like any other energy project, the devil's in the details," he said. "Safety and environmental considerations are really important in that extraction process, and it's something that we've been looking at very closely."
Copyright 2011 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.