EPA Investigates Coal Plants on U. of Wisconsin Campuses

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has started an investigation of 15 state-owned coal-fired power plants in Wisconsin, including those that provide power for the University of Wisconsin campuses in Eau Claire, La Crosse, Oshkosh, and River Falls.

“At issue is whether millions of dollars worth of upgrades at some of the coal-burning plants increased the potential for the plants to emit more pollution,” reports the Wisconsin State Journal.

Coal power has been trouble for the University of Wisconsin and state officials for some time now. A couple of years ago, the Sierra Club successfully sued the state and the University of Wisconsin, claiming that officials had modified a coal plant in Madison without making necessary upgrades to comply with the Clean Air Act. The EPA’s new investigation involves similar modifications on the other campuses.

Here’s why other colleges need to watch Wisconsin: The Sierra Club’s actions there are part of a broader campaign to push coal off campuses across the country. Bruce Nilles, who has directed the Beyond Coal Campaign, told me last year that he believed other institutions had, like Wisconsin, modified their plants without adding new pollution controls. He said the Sierra Club was interested in pursuing such cases at other colleges.

Wisconsin responded to the lawsuit by vowing to replace coal with state-grown biomass, a project that may cost $250-million. The university just broke ground on the Wisconsin Energy Institute, which is to help determine a new energy future for the state.