Advertisement The state of Wisconsin is fortunate to have a governor and administration that are taking global warming seriously. Last November, Gov. Jim Doyle joined nine other Midwestern governors in signing the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord, “a regional strategy to achieve energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.” And last month, Gov. Doyle signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and Wisconsin that “promotes a working relationship between Wisconsin and the U.K. and builds upon current efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote low carbon technologies.” To do this requires drastically cutting down on the burning of coal, which among the fossil fuels yields the least energy, but also emits the most CO2. Not enough people realize that burning one ton of coal carbon generates almost four tons of CO2. But Dairyland Power plans to reduce its sulfur emissions with a new “dry scrubber” at its Genoa plant that absorbs the sulfur-using lime. This makes the coal-ash waste no longer recyclable, and therefore requires converting hundreds of acres of productive farmland into an industrial-waste landfill. If the landfill leaks or experiences flooding like last summer’s, it will release toxic metals into our streams and groundwater.
The dry scrubber would also drastically increase the “carbon footprint” of Dairyland Power, going directly against what Gov. Doyle is trying to accomplish. Every month, more than 18,000 tons of lime must be used. The lime is made in Iowa, 200 miles away. To make the lime, limestone must be quarried and crushed by diesel-burning machinery. It then must be heated to 900 degrees Celsius by burning pulverized coal. Every 100 tons of limestone, when heated, yields 56 tons of lime... and releases 44 tons of CO2! Thus, making 18,000 tons of lime releases 14,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Trucking the lime 200 miles to Genoa requires large amounts of diesel fuel, as does trucking the ash-lime waste from Genoa to a Vernon County landfill. Thus, to make a relatively small reduction in sulfur emissions, the scrubber would greatly increase CO2 emissions. This makes no sense. Gov. Doyle and DNR, please step in! Insist on a better plan!
Kelvin S. Rodolfo
Professor Emeritus
Dept. of Earth & Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois at Chicago
Viroqua
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