Contact:
Eric Uram
(608) 257-4994
Public hearing attendees point to numerous unanswered questions as
reasons for concern
Oak Creek – Local members of the community, including many who are part
of the Sierra Club and other environmental watchdog groups, will call
on the Army Corps of Engineers to direct an Environmental Impact
Statement of WE Energies’ Oak Creek Power Plant proposal at tonight’s
Corps’ public hearing.
“The DNR and EPA should welcome an independent review by the Corps
based on what we do know, and everything we don’t, about the serious
negative environmental impact of this proposed project –both locally
and throughout the region,” said Eric Uram, Midwest Regional
Representative of the Sierra Club.
Hearing attendees plan to raise a number of concerns about the project.
Many of them focusing on a recently reported EPA whistleblower memo as
proof that scores of questions are still left unanswered regarding the
power plant’s impact on human health and the environment.
Some of the higher-level-of-concern issues focus on:
• The lack of consideration given to alternative cooling systems that
would have less environmental impact than the currently proposed
once-through cooling water system.
• The lack of consideration by the PSCW and WDNR to fully reconsider
viable alternative site locations once the PSCW rejected the third coal
unit because of cost.
• The lack of a comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impact of
the proposal based on the most recent site layout.
• The total amount of mercury and other poisonous wastes that will be
dumped directly into the lake ecosystem each year.
Uram said, “It is beyond belief that a project of Oak Creek’s magnitude
has received as little review as it has by these agencies. If left as
is, this clearly violates the public’s trust these agencies are sworn
to uphold.”