Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- And Now, Back to Your Local News…Since the weather’s getting better, I’m sure we’re all totally jonesing to get onto the trails, but in general, they’re a mess. It’s a bummer to see nice singletracks get trashed and widened, so like all of you, I’m grinding my teeth in annoyance while I try to be patient. The good news is that you [...] […]
- Downieville, Take ThreeOkay, well, things went pretty haywire in race promotion after the registration debacle. The organizer received so many hateful emails and comments about the mishap that it made him wonder if he should even bother putting the race on. I can’t blame him, really. In his shoes I might do the same thing. It sounds [...] […]
- And Now, Back to Your Local News…
- Edgy Veggie
Valmont power station
VALMONT POWER STATION BY THE NUMBERS
Originally included in Laura’s in-depth story about the Valmont power plant and the debate over its air permit.
Valmont power station at night | flickr user benmesander
The original boilers at the Valmont power plant began operating in 1924, but today the only coal-powered turbine left in operation — Unit 5 — was built in 1964.
In total, there are actually four electricity-generating units that can be turned on at the Valmont Station, including Unit 5, which can also be powered by natural gas if necessary.
Unit 6, which is also operated by Xcel, was built in 1973, and two other turbines owned by the Black Hills Corporation all run off natural gas.
186 megawatts – The power capacity of Valmont’s coal-powered unit
262 — Number of average Colorado houses that could be powered for a month by running the coal-burning generator for just one hour
133,300 pounds – Estimated amount of carbon dioxide emitted during that hour
6,871 gallons — Total amount of gasoline an average car would have to burn to emit the same amount of carbon dioxide
536,000 tons — Amount of coal burned at the plant in 2007
2,000,000 gallons — Volume of water consumed each day
44 pounds — Amount of mercury released into the air in 2007
58 – Number of full-time employees
$5 million — Approximate sales and use tax paid by the plant each year
JULY 14, 2009 PERMIT RENEWAL HEARING
Originally published Tue., July 14:
More than 200 people turned out Tuesday night to oppose the renewal of the Valmont power plant’s air permit, which is issued by the state.
Valmont power station from above | flickr user Yuri Gadow
Residents took their turn at the podium in the Boulder County Courthouse for nearly four hours, pleading with the state’s Air Quality Control Commission to deny the permit for a host of reasons, the majority of which related to the more than 1 million metric tons of globe-warming carbon dioxide released each year when coal is burned at the plant northeast of Boulder.
But even before the first of more than 50 speakers stood in front of the commission to comment, a staff member from the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment responded to the arguments he anticipated hearing.
If a coal plant, or any other regulated emitter, is meeting the air standards set by Colorado, which in turn must comply with the federal Clean Air Act, then the state is bound to issue an air permit, according to Roland Hea, an air permit supervisor, no matter how compelling the public’s concerns about global warming may be.
“We are mandated by law to issue the permit,” he said. “It’s not discretionary. If somebody meets all the requirements that apply, then we are required to issue the permit.”
Related:
- Xcel backs off “solar penalty” [BigGreenBoulder]
- Valmont Station info [Xcel Energy]
- Photo slideshow of permit hearing [flickr user dgrinberg]
