From the Associated Press:
OAK CREEK, Wis. - Environmentalists and the state of Illinois are lining up against a proposal to construct a mammoth coal-burning power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan, warning it will pollute the air and water across the Midwest and set off a 'coal rush' to build more such projects around the country.
The project is actually a $2.15 billion expansion of a 1950s-era plant in this Milwaukee suburb, 80 miles north of Chicago. The resulting complex would produce enough electricity for 615,000 homes, burn 1.5 million tons of coal a year and draw 2.2 billion gallons of water from the lake each day, or almost as much as Chicago and 100 of its suburbs use.
The plant's operator, We Energies, and the state Public Service Commission, which approved the project, say that it is the cheapest and best way to meet growing power needs in the busy Milwaukee-Chicago corridor and that the project complies with all environmental regulations."
Here's a link to the rest of the article: Duluth News Tribune | 06/23/2005 | Coal power plant project is firing up controversy
Unfortunately, this article only briefly mentions mercury and mercury poisoning, and does not say how far downwind you'll have to be to avoid it. The scrubber technology that is to be installed is outdated and has already been banned in Illinois.
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