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Statement of John Thompson, Director Coal Transition Project, Clean Air Task Force on Sierra Club Appeal of the Taylorville IGCC Air Permit

“I have the highest respect for the Sierra Club, but appealing the Taylorville air permit is a mistake that makes it much harder to stop global climate change. This appeal delays new technology needed to radically cut carbon dioxide from coal use.

The Sierra Club’s lawsuit penalizes technology pioneers. Sadly, the power sector will interpret this lawsuit as one more reason to stick with building the same old dirty power plants. After all, why take a chance on new, vastly cleaner technology if those plants will be fought just as hard as cheaper, dirtier ones?

The world can ill-afford new technology delays. By the time this appeal runs its course, China will have opened over 40 new large coal-fired power plants using old technology with little or no option for cutting carbon dioxide. China’s rapid growth in carbon dioxide releases threatens to swamp any reductions the United States could make.

I ask Sierra Club to withdraw their lawsuit and use their good reputation to encourage Illinois policymakers to help adopt carbon capture and storage sooner on innovative projects like Taylorville.”

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The Clean Air Task Force is a non profit environmental organization dedicated to protection of earth’s air quality and climate. The Task Force helped lead national efforts in the last ten years to reduce air and solid waste pollution from the nation’s coal plants, with a special focus on the Midwest. The Task Force’s Coal Transition project is based in Carbondale, Illinois and Columbus Ohio. For more information about CATF: www.catf.us


For More Information:
John Thompson, Director Coal Transition Project
Phone (618) 457-0137
Cell (618) 203-6233


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