Dairyland Power Cooperative has completed its initial evaluations of three possible sites for coal ash dumps in Vernon County and has submitted them to the Department of Natural Resources for review.
In its fall newsletter, which customers and others received last week, Dairyland reported that three sites — two in the town of Harmony and one next to the existing Vernon County landfill site outside Viroqua — were included in the submission to the DNR.
The newsletter also reported, “While Dairyland continues to aggressively seek solutions for beneficial reuse of the ash, a disposal facility will still be necessary.”
So, the bottom line is Dairyland plans to continue to pursue dumping coal ash from its Genoa power plant somewhere in Vernon County, despite widespread public opposition.
This issue has been addressed before in this column. Here’s a quick review. Dairyland is upgrading its air pollution system at the Genoa plant. That upgrading will change the composition and volume of the coal ash, reducing the amount usable in current recycling programs. Thus, Dairyland wants to dump the ash, at least until the technology is ready for alternative recycling uses.
Opponents to the dumping of the ash fear possible pollution from runoff into the karst geology of the area. They also maintain recycling alternatives for the ash do exist, but Dairyland will not pursue them because of costs. The likely final destination for the dispute will end up the courts.
But, before that happens, Dairyland has scheduled an informational meeting on its plans Nov. 12 at the VFW Club in Viroqua. An open house will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.
It’s hoped the DNR response is complete by that meeting date. The DNR is expected to give a preliminary evaluation on the potential of each proposed site to comply with location criteria and performance standards. Dairyland already has taken soil borings as part of its evaluations.
Some time early in 2009, the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a federal agency which loans electric coops funds for projects, will hold a Public Scoping Meeting on the proposal. RUS considers potential impacts to farmland, threatened and endangered species, wetland and cultural and historic resources. It also considers “socio-economic and environmental justice issues.”
The RUS process offers some hope for opponents to a dump site, but they are not counting on it.
Dairyland hopes to identify its preferred site in the first quarter of 2009, after the open house, informational meeting and the RUS Scoping Meeting are held.
Then, the issue will likely head to the courts. Two opposing groups — People for HOPE (Harmony Township, Organics, Property, Environment) and Asbury Ridge Citizens for Hope (ARCH) — are well-organized and have the support of state and national environmental groups. The townships where the sites could end up already have designated funds for possible legal fees in the dispute.
In this column, the argument has been previously made that Dairyland could better use its funds on accelerating development of recycling technology than on legal fees. But, the co-op officials continue down their path.
In its fall newsletter, Dairyland does say, “using the material in agriculture as a soil amendment or a liming agent is another option that we have been researching.”
But, in the conclusion of a newsletter article called, “Beneficial reuse advances,” Dairyland writes, “Based on Dairyland’s long experience as a recycler of ash and our ongoing exploration of beneficial use, we cannot plan on reuse options for 100 percent of the material. Beneficial reuse options can be inconsistent, and are depending on several factors, including available markets and demand, environmental regulations, production interruptions, seasonal usage and the feasibility of technologies. Our goal is to find viable recycling options for as much of the scrubber byproduct as possible. However, the reality is that we will not be able to consistently recycle all the scrubber material, and disposal will be necessary to safely store the remaining material.”
The bottom line is: Dairyland plans on dumping the ash somewhere in Vernon County. The opponents’ bottom line is: Get ready for a fight.
