Appendix A - Washington State Department of Ecology

Blain, Lindsay (ECY)
From: Site Administrator [npca@npca.org] on behalf of Andrew Peterson [adpete@xprt.net]
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010 8:46 PM
To: ECY RE AQComments
Subject: Comments on Washington's Proposed Regional Haze State Implementation Plan
Categories: General Comment
Sep 13, 2010
Mr. Alan Newman
Air Quality Program, Wash. Dept. of Ecology P.O. Box 47600
Lacey, WA 98504‐7600
Dear Mr. Newman,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Washington's Regional Haze
State Implementation Plan (SIP) to address haze pollution including
that emitted by TransAlta's coal‐fired power plant in Centralia,
Washington.
We are working hard to _shut_down_ the PGE coal fired plant at
Boardman, which uses 20 trainloads of coal per day, on average. I
understand that the TransAlta plant in Centralia uses a similar amount
... all coal coming from the Powder River Basin, which is being ripped
apart by _our_ greed for their resources. There are better
alternatives, and any money used to run coal plants could be better
spent on the infrastructure improvements to move clean power around the
Northwest.
The plant in Centralia is not just a Washington problem, it effects the
entire "trough" that includes Puget Sound, Portland, and the
Willamette Valley. I remember my father telling me that years ago there
was a heavy haze that settled over Grants Pass, Oregon, and the source
for it was a forest fire on the Olympic Peninsula. If the wind is
blowing the "wrong" way, Portland gets the haze from
Centralia.
Washington needs strong measures in place to minimize the pollution
from Centralia until alternative sources are in place to allow shutting
it down completely.
Thank you for considering my comments. Please note: My comments will be
copied to Dennis J. McLerran, EPA Region 10 Administrator, and Keith
Rose, EPA Regional Haze Program Manager.
Sincerely,
Mr. Andrew Peterson
3146 SE 54th Ave
Portland, OR 97206‐2145
1
K - 550
Final December 2010