Appendix A - Washington State Department of Ecology

Blain, Lindsay (ECY)
From: Sierra Club Membership Services [membership.services@sierraclub.org] on behalf of Dan &
Pat Montague [montague30@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2010 9:48 PM
To: ECY RE AQComments
Subject: Comment on Washington's Proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan
Categories: General Comment
Oct 1, 2010
Mr. Alan Newman
P. O. Box 47600
Olympia, WA 68504‐7600
Dear Mr. Newman,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Washington's Regional Haze
State Implementation Plan. Haze pollution harms treasured national
parks and wilderness areas and hurts public health. Federal law
requires the state to create a plan to reduce haze pollution, however,
the State Implementation Plan as proposed is unacceptably weak and
fails to create any meaningful pollution controls for the TransAlta
coal plant, which is our state's largest point source of haze causing
nitrogen oxide pollution.
In order to preserve our treasured public lands and protect public
health, Washington state must require pollution controls for TransAlta
that would reduce nitrogen oxide pollution by 90% or more over its
current proposal.
Every year, TransAlta emits over 10,000 tons of nitrogen oxide
pollution which causes haze damage to twelve protected public lands.
The National Park Service has criticized the state's proposed plan for
not doing enough to protect these pristine wilderness areas,
specifically citing the lack of pollution controls at TransAlta as
being insufficiently weak.
Nitrogen oxide pollution is also a threat to public health. This type
of pollution has been linked to heart and lung disease and in some
cases can contribute to premature death. It can cause respiratory
problems such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis and can damage lung
tissue and aggravate existing heart disease.
Please protect the our treasured wilderness areas and public health
from harm by revising the Regional Haze State Implementation Plan in
order reduce the TransAlta coal plant's nitrogen oxide pollution by 90%
or greater.
This is the right action to take for liveability of humans, other
animals and plants in our state.
Sincerely,
1
K - 132
Final December 2010