4 months ago
A proposed coal plant near Sandersville has sparked a heated discussion in Washington and surrounding counties.
Tuesday night the state Environmental Protection Division held a public hearing so people could comment on the plant. It was the last chance for people to give their opinion, face-to-face with the E.P.D.
Two hundred people from all over Georgia packed the cafeteria of Ridge Road Elementary School, waiting for their turn to speak on the controversial Plant Washington.
The draft permits have been issued, and the E.P.D. says it will consider the public commentary as it decides whether to finalize them.They will accept written comments regarding the permits until October 27th. They can be mailed or emailed to:
Plant Washington Comments
Georgia Environmental Protection Division
2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Suite 1152 -- East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
or
epdcomments@dnr.state.ga.us
"The comments we receive are very important," says Jac Capp, with the E.P.D. "We'll review those, make sure that we are on the right path. That could lead us to make changes on the permits."
At the meeting, the plant received a lot of heat from those who would be living right down the street from it, but even some living nearby say the jobs it would bring are too badly needed.
"Yes, it's going to disturb my peace and quiet a little bit, but for the environment and the development of Washington County, yes, we can tolerate that," says Hovey Smith, who will live about 4 miles from the site.
The hearing also drew many from out of town, concerned with environmental studies claiming mercury from the plant will reach up to 100 kilometers away.
"All the communities downwind have a reason to be concerned about the mercury falling into the ground, into the streams, and into their fish, and eventually into their bodies," says Chandra Brown, who lives in Statesboro.
But spokesperson for Power4Georgians, the group of six companies heading the project, Deal Alford says the plant will comply with all environmental regulations.
"Today's power plants are much cleaner than the power plants that were built twenty or thirty years ago," says Alford. "Trying to compare this plant to one built in the 1960s is like trying to compare an automobile in the 1960s to one today."
Many also asked whether future regulations would eventually make coal obsolete. Four companies had already backed out of the project because of that uncertainty.
Plant Washington would be built about seven miles north of Sandersville. The E.P.D. promised Plant Washington would be cleaner because of stricter regulations, but some in the community aren't convinced.
"It has been known to cause asthma, cancer, neurological problems, heart problems," says Pat Daniel, who lives in Warthen, near Sandersville. "The closer you are to the plant the more dangerous it is to your health."
Daniel says her farmland is three miles from the proposed site of Plant Washington, which is off Mayview Road. A member of the Fall Line Alliance for Clean Environment, Daniel says the group has been a major opponent of the project $2 billion dollar coal plant.
It could be built on 1,600 acres of old farmland just north of Sandersville and use up to 16 million gallons of water daily.
Those who are eager for Plant Washington to come to the county say that one of its biggest assets will be the much needed jobs it would create.
"They have about 1200 to 1400 people employed in all phases of construction," says Mayor Jimmy Andrews, of Sandersville. "And afterward I understand, a good 120 full-time jobs."
Andrews says any risk from the plant, which could be up and running by the end of 2013, would be overshadowed by the economic boost to Washington and surrounding counties.
"I have a lot of confidence in the EPD," says Andrews. "If this weren't going to be a good, clean, safely-operating plant, I don't think they would even talk about getting permits."
Daniel isn't convinced though. Plant Washington is expected to generate power for up to 700,000 Georgia homes, but Daniel says only 2-4 % of those will be in Washington County.
"We're all neighbors, but the neighbors to the north around this plant are the ones whose property values are going to go down, their health risks are going to increase. All for a few people to make money and a few jobs," says Daniel.
Even then, Daniel says, those few jobs could disappear in the future is coal becomes an energy source of the past.
