For 20 years, manufacturing businesses have reported their air, water and land releases under the Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). This is often referred to as the "right-to-know" program, part of the EPCRA "Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986." Utilities have reported their emissions under numerous other federal, state and local programs. In July 1999, Tampa Electric, along with other electric utilities and several other industries, were required for the first time to report certain information under the TRI program.
The public has a right to accurate and meaningful information on the release of substances to the environment. Tampa Electric's power plants must comply with more than a dozen federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and hundreds of state and local laws. Our operating permits, which are issued by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection, require that we limit releases to ensure protection of human health and the environment. Tampa Electric routinely reports on its compliance with these permits, and regulatory agencies conduct inspections to verify these reports. The information in these reports has always been publicly available and Tampa Electric makes an effort to educate its customers and communities on its environmental programs.
In order to meet our customers' growing demand for low-cost, reliable electric power, Tampa Electric burns coal, America's most abundant energy resource. Coal, like other fuels, burns because it contains carbon. The heat is used to make steam, which turns a turbine-generator, producing electricity. Customer growth in our service area has required Tampa Electric to increase its generation to fuel this economic growth. With this stated, the amount of coal burned in our power plants has also increased during this same time period.
When the coal is burned, most of it turns into energy in the form of heat. Coal also contains a small percentage of all the elements that were part of the world when it was created, including oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. During the combustion process, small amounts of these natural substances are released, and chemicals in the coal like chlorine, fluorine and sulfur are turned into gas. EPA defines "release" as any amount of a reportable chemical that enters the air, water or land, either on-site or off-site. Tampa Electric has worked and continues to work hard to minimize these releases. Through the use of modern technology to utilize coal cleanly, and with innovative changes to utilize a wide variety of low-sulfur fuels, Tampa Electric has reduced its SO2 emissions. In addition, Tampa Electric is also utilizing technology to address releases associated with NOx emissions. This is all part of Tampa Electric's on-going commitment to the customers and communities that it serves – reducing air, water and land emissions.
Tampa Electric burns about 8 million tons of coal each year. When millions of tons of coal are burned to generate electricity, it is not surprising that even one power plant can have millions of pounds of releases in a year. Although scientists and engineers have developed ways to make coal cleaner before it is shipped to our plants, most of the materials that turn into air, water and land releases remain in the fuel as it enters the plant because they occur naturally in the coal. In addition to turning most of the coal into heat, the combustion process also releases other materials present in the coal. Once inside the furnace, these materials must leave through one of two ways: as a gas or fine particulate matter (fly ash) in the "flue gas," or as a solid in the "slag" and "bottom ash" that accumulate at the bottom of the furnace.
We have installed emission control equipment to remove the fly ash and other substances from the flue gas. The EPA determined that these combustion by-products are not hazardous. The fly ash, slag and bottom ash are recycled to local industries to make cement, concrete, roofing tiles and other construction materials for Florida's fast-growing homes and businesses. Several of Tampa Electric's generating units utilize a "flue gas scrubber," which typically removes up to 95 percent of the sulfur dioxide. Gypsum, which is created as a by-product from this clean-up process, is sold to make cement and wallboard.
Similarly, releases to the water and land undergo various emission control processes, such as pH adjustment and removal of suspended solids. Even after cleaning these various streams to ensure compliance with environmental laws, there are still some chemicals that leave the power plant. These air, water and land releases are now reported under the TRI program, in addition to Tampa Electric's ongoing reporting requirements. The largest releases are diluted hydrochloric acid, hydrogen fluoride and sulfuric acid, formed when chlorine, fluorine and sulfur in the burning coal combine with other substances in the furnace.
Since the TRI right-to-know program was created for manufacturing plants, and not utilities, the reports will not reflect our on-going commitment to environmental cleanup. Tampa Electric has made significant progress in reducing its power plant releases. We have even reduced or eliminated the use of several listed chemicals. The TRI report format does not include information on exposure levels or toxicity – just numbers without an explanation. We will be ready to respond to questions from the communities that we serve, and make sure that our customers understand the information, beyond just the numbers. We will make our TRI information available to the public, and make outside experts available to put it into proper context. Tampa Electric will continue to comply with environmental standards, while providing our customers with low-cost, reliable electric power. This is what community right-to-know, and the privilege of serving our community, are all about.
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Interested parties may also visit the EPA's Web site at www.epa.gov
