Coal plants near residential areas

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Below is a list of coal-fired power plants near residential areas.

According to the study "The Effect of Power Plants on Local Housing Values and Rents" (May 2010) by Lucas Davis: "Compared to neighborhoods with similar housing and demographic characteristics, neighborhoods within two miles of plants experienced 3-7 percent decreases in housing values and rents with some evidence of larger decreases within one mile and for large capacity plants. In addition, there is evidence of taste-based sorting with neighborhoods near plants associated with modest but statistically significant decreases in mean household income, educational attainment, and the proportion of homes that is owner occupied."[1]

List of Coal Plants Near Residential Areas

For the purpose of this page, we are defining as plant as being within a residential area if it has at least 10,000 people living within a 3-mile radius of the plant.

For more information on each plant (including a map of the surrounding area), click on the plant's name on the left-hand side of the table.

SO2 figures with a star (*) next to them are from 2002, not 2006. Figures with two stars (**) are from 2009 data.[2]

As a point of reference, the 2000 per capita income for the United States is $21,587.[3]

Plant Name Owner Capacity Location 2006 SO2 Emissions Pop. Within 3 Miles Pop. Within 1 Mile 3-Mile Per Capita Income 3-Mile Non-White % **Scrubber?
AES Thames AES 214 MW Uncasville, CT *2,755 tons 18,320 2,007 $20,677 14.0% Yes
AES Warrior Run AES 229 MW Cumberland, MD *1,166 tons 10,914 1,707 $12,982 10.7% Yes
AES Westover AES 119 MW Johnson City, NY *15,071 tons 62,201 7,449 $18,747 15.6% 1 out of 3 burners
Allen S. King Xcel Energy 598 MW Bayport, MN 23,366 tons 22,141 2,869 $24,281 6.2% Yes
Arapahoe Xcel Energy 160 MW Denver, CO 2,412 tons 137,267 8,920 $21,990 41.6% Yes
ADM Cedar Rapids Archer Daniels Midland 256 MW Cedar Rapids, IA *5,480 tons 18,285 343 $19,747 7.9% ?
ADM Decatur Archer Daniels Midland 335 MW Decatur, IL *8,841 tons 31,997 3,176 $17,112 24.3% Yes
Asheville Progress Energy 414 MW Arden, NC 2,494 tons 18,838 1,954 $23,533 10.3% Yes
Ashtabula FirstEnergy 256 MW Ashtabula, OH *67,319 tons 14,111 178 $16,493 11.5% No
Avon Lake Reliant Energy 766 MW Avon Lake, OH 43,479 tons 17,456 2,743 $25,839 4.5% No
Bay Shore FirstEnergy 499 MW Oregon, OH 15,207 tons 14,132 616 $19,595 13.2% No
Black Dog Xcel Energy 294 MW Burnsville, MN 3,699 tons 63,615 4,294 $26,854 15.6% No
Blount Street Madison Gas & Electric 188 MW Madison, WI 5,969 tons 93,294 18,928 $18,281 18.0% No
Blue Valley City of Independence 115 MW Independence, MO *4,576 tons 20,386 1,149 $20,736 9.0% No
Brandon Shores Constellation Energy 1,370 MW Curtis Bay, MD 40,467 tons 25,441 1,920 $23,050 7.8% No
Brayton Point Energy Capital Partners 1,125 MW Somerset, MA 25,776 tons 77,676 2,209 $16,461 9.4% 2 out of 3 burners
Bridgeport Harbor PSEG 400 MW Bridgeport, CT 2,885 tons 145,133 15,887 $16,817 67.0% No
R.E. Burger FirstEnergy 541 MW Shadyside, OH 37,598 tons 14,474 1,186 $15,910 2.3% No
Cane Run E.ON 645 MW Louisville, KY 17,122 tons 25,907 820 $17,104 16.9% Yes
Carneys Point PG&E 285 MW Carneys Point, NJ *1,681 tons 14,158 584 $18,900 28.0% Yes
Cherokee Xcel Energy 801 MW Denver, CO 7,116 tons 61,559 317 $13,682 64.4% Yes
Chesapeake Dominion 650 MW Chesapeake, VA 30,168 tons 53,955 1,311 $16,751 43.3% No
Cheswick Reliant Energy 637 MW Springdale, PA 32,373 tons 35,690 5,834 $19,266 8.2% No
Clifty Creek OVEC 1,303 MW Madison, IN 65,372 tons 14,216 92 $17,546 5.6% No
B.C. Cobb CMS Energy 313 MW Muskegon, MI 12,361 tons 43,990 1,166 $15,161 37.6% No
Portsmouth Cogentrix 115 MW Portsmouth, VA *1,983 tons 53,186 4,244 $19,424 40.4% Yes
Richmond Cogentrix 230 MW Richmond, VA *786 tons 31,903 1,977 $17,627 59.4% Yes
Comanche Xcel Energy 779 MW Pueblo, CO 13,854 tons 10,355 21 $14,584 57.7% Yes
J.E. Corette PPL 173 MW Billings, MT 2,874 tons 36,411 1,568 $15,325 16.5% No
C.P. Crane Constellation Energy 400 MW Baltimore, MD 33,031 tons 14,067 614 $22,693 14.9% No
Crawford Edison International 597 MW Chicago, IL 9,046 tons 373,690 29,009 $11,097 83.9% No
Crist Southern Company 1,135 MW Pensacola, FL 35,614 tons 19,722 1,509 $22,226 16.0% No
Cromby Exelon 188 MW Phoenixville, PA *3,753 tons 44,302 1,121 $25,557 9.1% Yes
Dallman City of Springfield 388 MW Springfield, IL 3,635 tons 28,821 2,544 $19,288 29.1% Yes
Dan River Duke Energy 290 MW Eden, NC 4,248 tons 12,324 579 $15,772 23.9% No
Dynegy Danskammer Dynegy 387 MW Newburgh, NY 10,059 tons 16,224 815 $25,019 16.0% No
Dean Mitchell NiSource 384 MW Gary, IN *343 tons 22,090 0 $13,614 94.6% No
Dunkirk NRG Energy 592 MW Dunkirk, NY 10,072 tons 16,916 3,175 $14,578 23.2% No
Eastlake FirstEnergy 1,257 MW Willoughby, OH 82,705 tons 39,044 3,746 $20,947 3.3% No
Eckert City of Lansing 375 MW Lansing, MI 5,702 tons 96,255 12,656 $17,959 39.2% No
Eddystone Exelon 707 MW Eddystone, PA 6,720 tons 93,912 3,460 $19,181 26.2% Yes
Edge Moor Pepco Holdings 252 MW Wilmington, DE 7,194 tons 65,393 0 $18,396 66.5% No
Edgewater Alliant Energy 770 MW Sheboygan, WI 15,759 tons 29,814 5,144 $18,812 15.7% No
E.D. Edwards Ameren 780 MW Bartonville, IL 34,865 tons 25,094 6 $18,493 2.6% No
Elmer Smith City of Owensboro 445 MW Owensboro, KY 2,525 tons 12,073 855 $17,133 7.5% Yes
B.L. England Pepco Holdings 299 MW Marmora, NJ 9,064 tons 13,975 496 $28,765 7.5% 1 out of 2 burners
Erickson City of Lansing 155 MW Lansing, MI 3,105 tons 16,366 74 $22,757 34.0% No
Fisk Edison International 374 MW Chicago, IL 4,616 tons 314,632 47,050 $15,076 83.1% No
Gadsden Southern Company 138 MW Gadsden, AL 9,344 tons 24,955 3,487 $13,600 49.9% No
R. Gallagher Duke Energy 600 MW New Albany, IN 50,819 tons 60,333 2,789 $12,868 60.8% No
Grainger Santee Cooper 163 MW Conway, SC 12,894 tons 14,855 2,242 $16,680 37.3% No
H. Wilson Sundt UniSource Energy 173 MW Tucson, AZ 3,712 tons 56,609 1,947 $10,258 74.7% No
Harding Street AES 698 MW Indianapolis, IN 46,346 tons 35,209 485 $17,092 8.3% No
Hawthorn Great Plains Energy 594 MW Kansas City, MO 1,897 tons 31,335 3 $14,647 32.3% Yes
Henderson E.ON 365 MW Henderson, KY *2,443 tons 24,882 4,793 $17,370 13.7% ?
Herbert Wagner Constellation Energy 495 MW Curtis Bay, MD 22,178 tons 25,672 3,436 $23,403 6.5% No
High Bridge Xcel Energy 277 MW St. Paul, MN 3,463 tons 141,724 15,103 $19,980 40.5% No
Hoot Lake Otter Tail Power 129 MW Fergus Falls, MN 3,391 tons 14,624 2,124 $19,036 3.4% No
Hudson PSEG 660 MW Jersey City, NJ 19,709 tons 309,478 25,263 $21,596 74.0% No
Huntley NRG Energy 816 MW Tonawanda, NY 12,299 tons 55,349 596 $17,306 12.0% No
Int'l Paper Savannah International Paper 154 MW Savannah, GA *7,969 tons 24,012 853 $16,493 70.2% ?
Jack Watson Southern Company 750 MW Gulfport, MS 29,113 tons 22,921 880 $20,760 24.9% No
James River Cogen Cogentrix 115 MW Hopewell, VA *5,052 tons 22,623 596 $17,981 37.4% No
James River City of Springfield 253 MW Springfield, MO 4,157 tons 21,237 1,427 $28,976 5.2% No
Joliet 29 Edison International 1,320 MW Joliet, IL 14,360 tons 40,409 995 $19,983 36.1% No
Joliet 9 Edison International 360 MW Joliet, IL 4,854 tons 43,392 1,193 $18,810 41.7% No
Karn/Weadock CMS Energy 857 MW Essexville, MI 27,284 tons 16,171 302 $20,962 6.7% No
Kingston TVA 1,700 MW Harriman, TN 55,473 tons 11,574 428 $18,077 5.5% No
Lake Road City of Cleveland 160 MW Cleveland, OH 2,613 tons 73,659 7,323 $10,466 74.9% ?
Lake Shore FirstEnergy 256 MW Cleveland, OH 3,002 tons 103,333 10,106 $10,866 90.6% No
Lawrence Westar Energy 566 MW Lawrence, KS 2,612 tons 20,882 91 $22,383 15.8% 2 out of 3 burners
Logan PG&E 242 MW Swedesboro, NJ *720 tons 17,446 66 $16,924 27.8% Yes
Lon Wright City of Fremont 130 MW Fremont, NE 1,332 tons 24,132 4,628 $17,828 6.7% No
Lovett Mirant 380 MW Tomkins Cove, NY 9,486 tons 21,448 1,252 $27,483 12.8% No
Martin Drake City of Colorado Springs 257 MW Colorado Springs, CO 9,164 tons 78,101 5,846 $20,905 26.6% No
Marysville DTE Energy 150 MW Marysville, MI 0 tons 19,299 2,500 $19,170 15.1% No
McDonough Southern Company 598 MW Smyrna, GA 28,835 tons 43,319 3,067 $32,515 54.1% No
C.D. McIntosh City of Lakeland 364 MW Lakeland, FL 6,129 tons 29,782 16 $15,386 38.7% Yes
McMeekin SCANA 294 MW Columbia, SC 14,427 tons 22,690 1,488 $28,092 14.7% No
Meramec Ameren 923 MW St. Louis, MO 18,013 tons 24,139 298 $23,368 2.7% No
Mercer PSEG 653 MW Hamilton, NJ 14,517 tons 81,676 752 $19,365 42.0% No
Merrimack Northeast Utilities 459 MW Bow, NH 32,726 tons 11,526 1,466 $22,045 2.9% No
Michigan City NiSource 540 MW Michigan City, IN 15,993 tons 29,568 4,156 $16,523 29.7% No
Milton Kapp Alliant Energy 218 MW Clinton, IA 5,325 tons 18,309 674 $16,893 6.3% No
Mitchell Allegheny Energy 299 MW Courtney, PA 1,514 tons 12,109 821 $18,669 3.4% Yes
Mount Tom Northeast Utilities 136 MW Holyoke, MA 4,137 tons 15,165 192 $22,034 11.4% No
Muscatine City of Muscatine 294 MW Muscatine, IA 3,208 tons 16,132 1,425 $17,305 18.0% 1 out of 2 burners
Nearman Creek City of Kansas City, Kansas 261 MW Kansas City, KS 7,242 tons 25,710 337 $19,661 43.7% No
Niles Reliant Energy 266 MW Niles, OH 15,370 tons 41,028 3,277 $18,490 4.0% 1 out of 2 burners
North Omaha OPPD 627 MW Omaha, NE 14,315 tons 43,133 6,933 $13,858 56.7% No
Northampton PG&E 134 MW Northampton, PA *495 tons 33,723 4,854 $19,965 4.3% Yes
Pleasant Prairie Wisconsin Energy 1,233 MW Pleasant Prairie, WI 28,566 tons 21,894 14 $24,878 10.2% Yes
Mirant Potomac River Mirant 514 MW Alexandria, VA 8,476 tons 138,380 14,016 $34,352 54.9% Yes
Powerton Edison International 1,786 MW Pekin, IL 19,860 tons 16,131 485 $16,614 8.2% No
Prairie Creek Alliant Energy 245 MW Cedar Rapids, IA 4,438 tons 35,324 1,731 $19,766 13.7% No
Presque Isle Wisconsin Energy 625 MW Marquette, MI 16,514 tons 18,807 1,415 $16,374 5.6% No
J.P. Pulliam Integrys 410 MW Green Bay, WI 10,869 tons 52,071 397 $16,275 22.5% No
Quindaro City of Kansas City, KS 239 MW Kansas City, KS 5,777 tons 42,539 1,725 $15,561 69.9% No
R. Paul Smith Allegheny Energy 110 MW Williamsport, MD 3,359 tons 10,578 2,187 $18,596 2.2% No
River Rouge DTE Energy 651 MW River Rouge, MI 13,307 tons 68,262 3,567 $13,037 65.3% No
Riverside (MN) Xcel Energy 404 MW Minneapolis, MN 12,573 tons 149,173 10,756 $18,277 40.2% No
Riverside (IA) MidAmerican Energy 141 MW Bettendorf, IA 2,465 tons 39,186 1,035 $22,466 17.3% No
Roanoke Valley E.ON 240 MW Weldon, NC *934 tons 15,693 1,166 $15,339 42.1% Yes
Russell Energy East 253 MW Rochester, NY 15,360 tons 42,441 4,731 $21,956 8.4% No
Salem Harbor Dominion 330 MW Salem, MA 8,616 tons 100,051 9,308 $27,500 11.8% No
Schiller Northeast Utilities 150 MW Portsmouth, NH 7,775 tons 24,509 3,727 $25,560 5.9% No
Sikeston City of Sikeston 261 MW Sikeston, MO 7,565 tons 15,312 1,571 $15,111 27.1% No
Somerset NRG Energy 174 MW Somerset, MA 4,322 tons 64,245 8,611 $18,592 7.5% No
Southwest City of Springfield 194 MW Brookline Station, MO 3,208 tons 15,381 509 $20,219 5.9% No
State Line Dominion 614 MW Hammond, IN 7,949 tons 77,931 13,664 $14,408 78.9% No
Sunbury Integrys 425 MW Shamokin Dam, PA 27,738 tons 16,580 1,879 $17,409 4.2% No
Sutherland Alliant Energy 157 MW Marshalltown, IA 3,555 tons 14,143 43 $14,817 24.9% No
Tanners Creek American Electric Power 1,100 MW Lawrenceburg, IN 35,494 tons 10,253 1,118 $19,404 3.7% No
Eastman Kingsport Eastman Chemical 194 MW Kingsport, TN *24,246 tons 26,913 2,933 $19,230 8.1% No
Titus Reliant Energy 225 MW Birdsboro, PA 14,926 tons 82,086 357 $16,699 39.0% No
Trenton Channel DTE Energy 776 MW Trenton, MI 29,066 tons 43,301 1,490 $29,078 5.9% No
Trigen Syracuse Veolia 101 MW Syracuse, NY *3,223 tons 69,755 6,755 $17,481 19.7% No
Valley Wisconsin Energy 272 MW Milwaukee, WI 8,483 tons 209,421 23,750 $12,852 66.0% No
Valmont Xcel Energy 192 MW Boulder, CO 879 tons 34,181 934 $28,069 18.8% Yes
Wabash River Duke Energy 1,165 MW Terre Haute, IN 58,793 tons 12,815 62 $15,989 5.1% No
Waukegan Edison International 803 MW Waukegan, IL 11,815 tons 67,776 1,029 $16,197 72.1% No
W.H. Weatherspoon Progress Energy 166 MW Lumberton, NC 8,204 tons 10,450 396 $11,867 50.3% No
G.F. Weaton Horsehead 120 MW Monaca, PA *7,057 tons 21,345 628 $20,628 3.7% No
Weston Integrys 492 MW Rothschild, WI 12,596 tons 10,349 336 $22,963 3.2% 1 out of 4 burners
Will County Edison International 1,269 MW Romeoville, IL 17,306 tons 27,062 372 $20,997 15.3% No
Wood River Dynegy 500 MW Alton, IL 7,628 tons 29,889 30 $16,381 12.4% No

These 126 plants have a total capacity of 58,945 MW - 17.5% of the total U.S. coal power capacity. A total of 6.11 million people live within 3 miles of these 126 plants. These 6.11 million people have an average per capita income of $18,587 - 14% lower than the U.S. average - and 43.7% of them are people of color.

Coal Plants, Pollution, and Race

The 2011 report, "Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People in Illinois" by Adrian Wilson, NAACP, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), and the Indigenous Environmental Network, notes that:

  • A total of 8.1 million Americans live within three miles of a coal power plant. Those 8.1 million people have an average per capita income of $18,594 – significantly lower than the U.S. average of $21,587. Out of those 8.1 million people, 36.3%, or 2.94 million, are people of color, who make up only 29.2% of the U.S. population as a whole.
  • African-Americans are hospitalized for asthma at three times the rate of whites, and the death rate from asthma is 172% higher for African-Americans than for whites. Asthma is closely linked to burning coal: coal power plants produce 74% of all sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution, 18% of nitrogen oxide (NOX) pollution, and 85% of direct particulate matter 2.5 emissions in the United States, which all exacerbate asthma.

The report went on to use an algorithm combining levels of SO2 and NOX emissions together with demographic factors in order to calculate an environmental justice score for the 431 coal-fired power plants in the U.S., and found that:

  • Ninety plants have a significantly disproportionate impact on people of color and low-income people, with 4.7 million people living within 3 miles of the 90 plants, with an average per capita income of $17,600 (25% lower than state average), and over half (52.5%) people of color. Ten were in Illinois, eight in Indiana, seven in Michigan, sex in Virginia, and five in South Carolina. The report notes that shutting down the 90 worst ranking plants would reduce U.S. power production by only 9.2%, but would cut back the number of Americans living within three miles of a coal plant by well over half (58.4%).
  • Twelve plants were ranked the top environmental justice offenders, producing a total of 48,582 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity in 2005 — only 1.2% of total U.S. electricity production, yet affecting a total of 1.78 million Americans who live within 3 miles of one of the 12 plants, with an average per capita income of $14,626 (compared with the U.S. average of $21,587), and 76.3% people of color. The plants were:
  1. Crawford Generating Station, Chicago, IL (Edison International)
  2. Hudson Generating Station, Jersey City, NJ (PSEG)
  3. Fisk Generating Station, Chicago, IL (Edison International)
  4. Valley Power Plant, Milwaukee, WI (Wisconsin Energy)
  5. State Line Plant, Hammond, IN (Dominion)
  6. Lake Shore Plant, Cleveland, OH (FirstEnergy)
  7. Gallagher Generating Station, New Albany, IN (Duke Energy)
  8. Bridgeport Harbor Station, Bridgeport, CT (PSEG)
  9. River Rouge Power Plant, River Rouge, MI (DTE Energy)
  10. Cherokee Station, Commerce City, CO (Xcel Energy)
  11. Four Corners Steam Plant, Niinahnízaad, NM (Arizona Public Service Company)
  12. Waukegan Generating Station, Waukegan, IL (Edison International)

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. ↑ Lucas Davis, "The Effect of Power Plants on Local Housing Values and Rents" May 2010.
  2. ↑ Clean Air Markets - Data and Maps, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009.
  3. ↑ United States - Income and Poverty in 1999: 2000, U.S. Census Bureau, 2000.

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