Hampton Dellinger on Cliffside

Hampton Dellinger is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. The NC Sierra Club is always happy to print statements about environmental issues from statewide candidates on its blog:

Hampton Dellinger, Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, today urged the Division of Air Quality within the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to reject Duke Energy's request for an air quality permit for a new coal-fired power plant at Cliffside, near Charlotte.

Dellinger's objections to the permit request include an ongoing EPA enforcement action against the currently operating Cliffside units, and the National Park Service's finding that a new plant could have a “severe” impact upon air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“There is no overriding reason to grant a state permit now, and plenty of good reasons not to,” Dellinger said. “The site is embroiled in serious ongoing litigation about its current emissions, the damage to the Smoky Mountains caused by new coal-fired plants has been decried by the National Park Service, and the public case for North Carolina to accept the `last resort' of a new coal plant does not appear to have been made yet, particularly when the plant is not slated to utilize IGCC or similar advanced technologies to combat air pollution.”

Dellinger also called upon all 2008 statewide candidates to make their position on the permitting issue publicly known. “New coal plants will have an impact on North Carolina for years to come. Voters should know where the candidates stand on Cliffside so they can cast their ballots accordingly,” Dellinger said.

Hampton Dellinger is former Chief Legal Counsel to Gov. Mike Easley and served as a Deputy Attorney General in the North Carolina Department of Justice.