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From:  "Kettlewell, Linda " <lkettlewell@tribune.com>@ENRON 
[mailto:IMCEANOTES-+22Kettlewell+2C+20Linda+20+22+20+3Clkettlewell+40tribune+2
Ecom+3E+40ENRON@ENRON.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 10:34 AM
To: Alters, Dennis
Subject: Article on Sun-Sentinel.com

     By DAVID FLESHLER Sun-Sentinel
     Web-posted: 9:54 p.m. Mar. 6, 2001

     The power plant proposed for Pompano Beach moved a step Tuesday toward
     being built, as the state's air-quality regulators announced plans to
     issue a construction permit.
        The state Department of Environmental Protection this week will
     publish notices of its intent to grant the permit to Enron Corp.,
     which is facing vigorous opposition to its plans for a 510-megawatt
     plant just east of Florida's Turnpike. The notices will trigger a
     30-day comment period, with the final decision likely a month or two
     after that.
        The department made the decision after a lengthy review that showed
     the plant would have little impact on the region's air quality, said
     Alvaro Linero, the DEP administrator who handled the permit
     application.
        Relying on clean natural gas as its primary fuel, the plant would
     emit far less pollution than other power plants in the area, he said.
     Its hot gases would soar upward from the 80-foot stacks, so that
     neighborhoods near the plant would experience no more pollution than
     other neighborhoods. And there are commitments on its operating
     schedule and fuel quality that will reduce its environmental impact,
     he said.
        "They showed they will have a fairly minimal impact on air quality
     in the area and will be using the best available control technology,"
     Linero said.
        The plant would operate as a "peaking" plant, meaning it would go
     into service only when a public utility needed a backup source of
     power. Its permit would allow it to operate a maximum of 3,500 hours a
     year, or just under 10 hours a day.
        The plant would emit up to 573 tons a year of nitrogen oxide, a key
     cause of smog, according to the DEP analysis. It would emit up to 165
     tons a year of sulfur dioxide, which generates fine particles that can
     lodge deep in the lungs. Both pollutants can aggravate respiratory
     problems, such as asthma and emphysema.
        But Linero said the amounts would be minimal compared to the total
     amount of pollution in the region. The plant at Port Everglades, for
     example, emits far more of both pollutants. And motor vehicles
     accounted for 32,295 tons of nitrogen oxide in 1997, when Broward
     County last did a full air pollution inventory, according to county
     records.
        A key section of the proposed permit concerns diesel fuel, which
     the company plans to use when its supply of natural gas is
     interrupted. Diesel fuel emits much more pollution than natural gas,
     but the company made some commitments to reduce the effects, Linero
     said.
        It agreed to limit its diesel use to 1,000 hours a year, down from
     its original proposal of 1,500 hours. And for every hour of diesel
     operation over 250 hours, it will reduce its total annual operations
     by two hours. For example, if it uses its maximum 1,000 hours of
     diesel fuel, it will operate the plant for a total of only 2,000 hours
     for the year. The diesel fuel will be high-quality, low-sulfur fuel,
     Linero said.
        "We negotiated with the company to try to minimize the amount of
     diesel fuel usage and maximize the usage of natural gas," he said. "We
     also reviewed the pollution-control equipment that is designed into
     these units and determined that it meets best-available control
     technology."
        The DEP permit represents one of the major hurdles the company
     faces. The other is the application to rezone the 28-acre site for the
     plant. The City Commission is expected to vote next month on whether
     to change the land's zoning from industrial to utility.
        The project faces heavy opposition in Margate, Coconut Creek and
     some sections of Pompano Beach. Nothing that DEP said on Tuesday gave
     opponents any comfort.
        Even if the plant would emit less nitrogen oxide than other plants,
     they said, it would still be a new source of pollution. Even if the
     company agrees to limit its hours and operate it as a peaking plant,
     they said, those restrictions could change once the plant is in place.
     And they said the state had an unimpressive track record on
     environmental protection.
        "The state also approved the deposit of ash in Pompano Beach and
     they also approved the canker eradication program, where healthy trees
     were cut down," said Pompano Beach Commissioner Kay McGinn. "So they
     don't have much credibility."
        Coconut Creek Commissioner Jim Waldman said the plant would
     eventually be able to throw off restrictions on its use and operate as
     a full-time power plant.
        "I don't think it's going to be operated the way it's been applied
     for," he said. "I don't think it's just going to be a peaking plant. I
     think it's going to be operating at capacity. Once it's there, it will
     be easier for the state to allow it to be used as a regular source of
     energy. And I don't think the proper controls will be there at the
     time."
        Officials at Enron, a multinational company based in Houston, said
     the state's decision came as little surprise, since they had been
     negotiating various restrictions on the plant's operations in order to
     win approval.
        "It's a permit that DEP ought to be proud of," said Eric Thode, a
     spokesman for the company. "It's a very stringent permit."
        The department will accept comments on the proposed permit at a
     public meeting from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on March 26 at the Pompano Beach
     Civic Center.
        Written comments may be submitted to: A.A. Linero, Florida
     Department of Environmental Protection, 2600 Blairstone Road,
     Tallahassee, FL 32399.
        David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or
     954-356-4535.