(WOODBURY COUNTY, IA) - MidAmerican Energy made a deal to get rid of coal at two of its Sioux City-area plants. The utility company has agreed to a pollution control settlement with the Sierra Club.
In documents filed in federal court in Des Moines on Tuesday, MidAmerican said it would stop burning coal at its George Neal Energy Center Units 1 and 2 near Port Neal.
This comes after the Sierra Club said last July it intended to sue MidAmerican over violations of the Clean Air Act.
"It keeps Iowa moving along among the leaders of states transitioning from an old industrial model, the coal model, the fossil fuel model, to a 21st century economic model," said Jim Redmond, the Conservation Chair for the Northwest Iowa Sierra Club.
The buildings will not shut down, but go in a different a direction.
"We are evaluating the use of other fuels such as natural gas and possibly converting that facility to a natural gas facility," said Tina Potthoff, a MidAmerican spokesperson.
MidAmerican said by April 2016, unit 1 and 2 will no longer be burning coal. The utility company also agreed to quit burning coal at three other units across Iowa: two near Council Bluffs and one near Bettendorf.
MidAmerican will not cut any jobs, but if people retire or leave, those jobs may be left empty. Workers at the coal units will be offered other jobs within the company.
As part of the settlement, MidAmerican will continue installing new emission control equipment at the Neal Center Units 3 and 4, while 1 and 2 are working to cut emissions. 3 and 4 will still run on coal.
The company said this does not change the possibility of getting other energy sources up and running, including nuclear.
"We are simply completing our nuclear feasibility study with a three-year feasibility study and we hope to have those results by the end of this year," said Potthoff.
However, wind energy isn't on the agenda.
"We have completed several wind expansion projects: one in 2011 and one in 2012, and that's where we stand at this time," said Potthoff.
The Sierra Club said there are two big benefits when it comes to getting rid of coal. One is community health.
"The air quality in the Siouxland area will improve when those coal-fired plants no longer are operational or if they transition to natural gas," said Redmond.
The other benefit is economic development.
"Taking care of air quality, it requires a lot of cooperation among many groups and this will provide us with probably a greater opportunity for finding industries to relocate to Sioux City," said Redmond.
"There's quite a few people who don't have the faith or hope in clean energy and this proves it can be done. You can make this kind of move in a fairly rapid manner," he said.
To read the Sierra Club's full news release, click here: http://bit.ly/140WF5I
