Sierra Club sues MidAmerican Energy

Sierra Club sues MidAmerican Energy

	Published : Wed, 09 May 2007 19:05 By : Agencies Print this Story

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Sierra Club is suing MidAmerican Energy Co. for allegedly committing a slew of environmental violations in Iowa.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court by the club's Iowa chapter, accuses the state's largest energy company of emitting air pollution without proper permits and violating state and federal emission standards.

'It is time to get serious about clean energy solutions in Iowa and recognize our overdependence on coal plants,' said Sierra Club organizer Mark Kresowik. 'Iowans have the right to be included in vital decisions like these and MidAmerican should offset their illegal emissions.'

The Des Moines-based company provides electric service to 714,000 customers and natural gas service to 696,000 customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.

The Sierra Club takes issue with several of MidAmerican's coal plants across the state, including the company's recent expansion of a Council Bluffs facility. Sierra argues the project -- a 790-megawatt addition to an existing 820-megawatt plant -- is creating new air pollution without the required environmental permits. Sierra claims the expansion is the largest source of new air and global warming pollution in Iowa.

The Sierra Club has asked the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to arrange a public hearing in Council Bluffs to address the situation.

MidAmerican officials said they won't comment on pending litigation, but the company issued a press release Tuesday defending its operations. It said the expansion in Council Bluffs is fitted with environmental controls to reduce dangerous emissions and is 15 percent more efficient than plants built in the 1970-80s.

The Sierra Club also accuses MidAmerican of violating emission standards at the new Council Bluffs unit and a Riverside energy center in Bettendorf. The group claims state records prove the facilities have repeatedly emitted more pollution than federal and state laws allow.

'MidAmerican Energy Company is attempting to expand and lock-in our overdependence on dirty coal technology for the next 40 years or more while ignoring the law,' said Debbie Neustadt, political chair of the Sierra Club of Iowa. 'There are many energy efficiency and clean energy resource options that should be considered first.'

In the press release, MidAmerican said all its facilities meet emission standards and that it's planning more environmental upgrades.

The company also touted its efforts to find alternatives to coal-generated energy. The company is seeking state approval to add another 540 megawatts of wind energy. It already owns and operates 323 wind turbines at three sites in Iowa with the capacity to generate 459.5 megawatts of electricity.