Law will require pollution control

Alexandria (Map, News) - Mirant’s power plant in Alexandria will be required by a new Virginia law to reduce the amount of mercury it produces in the metropolitan region.

The plant would be required to lower the levels of mercury emitted to state standards; alternatively, it could reduce the amount at Mirant’s nearby Maryland plants.

The Alexandria plant has come under fire from residets and politicians for the high amount of pollutants it releases into the air.

The legislation also would allow plants in areas that do not meet federal air quality standards, such as the D.C. metropolitan area, to go under review by the state Air Pollution Control Board, said Bill Hayden, a Department of Environmental Quality spokesman.

Virginia has already begun reviewing Mirant’s operating permit for Alexandria “to reduce pollution and maintain the air quality standards,” he said. The permit will define what the acceptable levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter the plant can emit.

Mirant has reported to DEQ that it is working on pollution controls, but that information has yet to be handed over to the department, Hayden said.

The Alexandria plant, which sits on the Potomac River, serves 482,000 homes in Alexandria and the District. Mirant has three other plants in Maryland’s Charles, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, which serve more than 4.7 million homes.

“There is a lot more we need to do, but it is a good indication of the governor’s wanting to put Virginia in the right direction,” said Cale Jaffe, Southern Environmental Law Center attorney.

“It is a possibility” that Mirant could pass on any additional costs necessary to meet state standards, Hayden said.

The city is looking forward to participating in the permitting process and will look into any additional actions it can take with the new legislation, said William Skrabak, Alexandria’s division chief of environmental quality.

A Mirant spokeswoman declined to comment, saying she needed to conduct further research.

Mirant households served

» Potomac River Generating Plant, Alexandria: 482,000 homes

» Morgantown Generating Plant, Charles: 1,492,000 homes

» Dickerson Generating Plant, Montgomery: 853,000 homes

» Chalk Point Generating Plant, Prince George’s: 2,429,000 homes

cgoodman@dcexaminer.com

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