CCS is energy inefficient – The sequestration process – coal gasification, carbon separation, a 138 mile pipeline – would use 1/3 of the plant’s electrical output. The same investment in proven solar and wind technologies would produce significantly more energy.
Cost – Developers estimate this project will cost $6 billion. According to the New York Times, the company hopes to tap close to $200 million a year in federal tax credits for its technology. Every dollar invested in carbon capture and sequestration is one that is not invested in energy efficiency and renewable energy. A $5 billion dollar investment in these proven technologies would create more energy, with significantly less risk.
Linden has more than its fair share of industry – In the last ten years, the residents and environmentalists have stopped proposals for a hazardous waste incinerator, a medical waste incinerator, and a garbage barge transfer site in this area. The closest neighborhood to the site – Tremley Point – is surrounded by oil storage tanks, the New Jersey Turnpike, and an airport. Linden already has more than its fair share of pollution and the health issues – like children’s asthma – that come with it.
Swing Sets in Tremley Point Neighborhood. Photo courtesy of B. Wolfe
Ocean worries – The liquefied carbon dioxide will be pushed into a naturally existing formation. The creation of the pipeline, maintenance of the pipeline, and the potential for carbon dioxide leakage all pose threats to fisheries and marine life of the Atlantic.
Carbon dioxide is deadly – When carbon dioxide is concentrated in gas or liquid form, it is deadly. This odorless, tasteless, invisible gas asphyxiates life. In 1986 an earthquake in Cameroon, Africa released a naturally formed carbon dioxide bubble from a lake. When it bubbled to the surface it hung low to the ground and blew through nearby villages at 50mph. The carbon dioxide cloud asphyxiated 1,700 people in a 12 mile radius. There are approximately 1.8 million people in 41 municipalities that live within 10 miles of the proposed site; a single accident and PurGen could be disastrous.
Toxic byproducts processed in Linden – During a 30-year operating lifetime, the PurGen plant in Linden can be expected to produce 450,000 pounds of arsenic, 480,000 pounds of toxic lead, 14 million pounds of barium, 900,000 pounds of chromium and 1.4 million pounds of manganese. All of these toxins would be treated on site.
Coal mining is dirty – In addition to producing toxic waste and contributing to global warming, coal mining devastates the landscape in ways that we can never remediate. A million and a half acres of mountain tops, rivers and lakes in the United States have been destroyed because of coal mining.
Fertilizers in Linden – The PurGen proposal includes adding a fertilizer plant to the side of the power plant. When electricity prices are low the plant will make nitrogen instead of power. Fertilizer plants are known for their bad odor – neither Linden nor Staten Island residents deserve living with that smell.