Utah Advocates Call for Air Agency to Hold Strong on Coal Plant Shutdown Date in Latest Regional Haze Plan
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
The Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ) held a public hearing on September 24 to discuss a revision of its regional haze plan that would eliminate the previously mandated shutdown of the Intermountain Power Plant’s (IPP) coal units by the end of 2027. Advocates, including the Sierra Club and the Beyond Coal Campaign, urged the agency to retain the enforceable closure date after the EPA’s August 2024 partial disapproval of UDAQ’s plan for failing to curb emissions from Utah’s biggest coal polluters. The new draft removes the deadline and rejects modern pollution controls, despite state legislators and Governor Cox supporting continued operation to safeguard energy supply. Data‑center interest and expired California power contracts have been cited as reasons to keep IPP running, while critics warn the plant’s emissions degrade visibility in Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks and distant sites such as Yosemite.
💡 Why It Matters
- · Keeping IPP open would lock in additional haze pollution that directly threatens the visual and health benefits of iconic national parks, undermining federal air‑quality goals and the tourism economies that depend on clear skies.
