Bill would put moratorium on new coal plants in Georgia

An Atlanta-area legislator took aim at Georgia’s coal-fired power industry Tuesday, introducing a bill that would restrict the kind of coal that can be burnt in the state and stop new coal plants in their tracks.

With alternative energy on the rise, “Coal makes no sense in this day and age,” said state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) of House Bill 276.

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The bill would limit and then ban the use of a kind of coal prized by utilities and reviled by environmental advocates. The coal comes from Central Appalachia and is mined by exploding the tops off mountains.

Oliver’s bill also would put a five-year moratorium on new coal plants in Georgia, prompting a quick response from metro-area electric cooperatives planning to build one. The group called Oliver’s bill economically disastrous.

The “Appalachian Mountain Preservation Act” would gradually prohibit Georgia coal consumers —now just Georgia Power — from using Central Appalachia “mountaintop removal” coal.

Georgia uses more of that coal than any state in the nation, Oliver said, citing an environmental group’s analysis of federal coal purchasing records between 2002 and 2006.

Georgia Power buys coal from Wyoming, from South America and from Central Appalachian mines in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Central Appalachia coal is prized in Georgia because it’s close by and has relatively low levels of restricted pollutants like sulphur. It helps utilities meet air quality standards.

Not all Central Appalachian coal is mined by blowing up mountain tops. But most of the region’s strip-mined coal is, according to Appalachian Voices, a group backing Oliver’s bill.

Environmentalists say mountaintop removal buries adjacent land and streams in rubble and waste, in addition to destroying mountains.

“We are part of the cycle of coal consumption, and we must take responsibility for Georgia being the nation’s greatest consumer of mountaintop coal,” Oliver said in a written release.

In an e-mailed statement, Georgia Power said its coal contracts require suppliers to abide by all laws. The company said it doesn’t track which mines supply its coal.

The Central Appalachia contracts are cost-competitive, company spokeswoman Christy Heiser: “Reducing or removing coal mining options would likely result in higher fuel costs for customers,” she said.

Oliver’s proposal got a less measured response from Power4Georgians, the co-op coalition.

The coalition is in the early permitting stages for a new coal-fired power plant in the middle of the state. Oliver’s bill would stop any permitting for five years.

In a statement, Power4Georgians said the bill would “bring about severe and negative consequences. As the state grapples with an onerous economic downturn, it is critical to ensure that energy remains affordable.”

“Attempting to inhibit or halt the use of coal is not the answer,” the group said.