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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNC0003425_Comments_20170222SIERRA February 22, 2017 Via email toiubliccomments@ncdenrgov Mr. S. Jay Zimmerman P.G., Director Division of Water Resources Department of Environmental Quality 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1617 Re: Supplemental Comments on Draft NPDES Permit No. NC0003425 for Duke Energy's Roxboro Steam Electric Generating Plant Dear Mr. Zimmerman, On behalf of our more than 60,000 North Carolina members and supporters, Sierra Club respectfully submits these comments on the January 2017 draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit for Duke Energy's Roxboro Steam Electric Generating Plant ("Roxboro"), Permit No. NC0003425, noticed for public comment by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality ("DEQ"). These comments supplement Sierra Club's November 4, 2016 comments —which we incorporate by reference and attach here as Exhibit 1— on DEQ's August 2016 Draft Permit. DEQ's January 2017 Revised Draft Permit, like the August 2016 Draft Permit before it, fails to comply with the federal Clean Water Act ("CWA") and with North Carolina law and to adequately protect Person County waters. DEQ should revise Roxboro's permit again to — Require compliance with new effluent limits for the discharge of bottom ash transport water and flue gas desulfurization ("FGD") wastewater and bottom ash transport water by November 1, 2018; • Set site -specific technology -based effluent limits, particularly for the discharge of legacy ash basin wastewater; • Revise water quality -based effluent limits using comprehensive, updated data sets and appropriate baselines; • Require immediate corrective action to eliminate all seeps of contaminated water; • Require removal of toxic coal ash waste to prevent future pollution of ground and surface waters; • Increase the frequency of discharge monitoring to allow for accurate evaluation of permit compliance and water quality impacts; and Develop interim requirements to reduce lethal impingement and entrainment from the plant's cooling system. COMMENTS A. DEQ's Proposed Compliance Deadlines For The Revised ELGs Are Not Justified. The EPA periodically codifies national effluent limitation guidelines ("ELGs") for NPDES permits that reflect Best Available Technology ("BAT") standards for particular discharges, pollutants, and activities found in categories of point sources. See 40 C.F.R. § 423. Where those guidelines have been set, they establish the floor or minimum level of control that must be imposed in a NPDES permit. EPA recently updated ELGs for steam electric power plants such as Roxboro. 80 Fed. Reg. 67,838 (Nov. 3, 2015). Among other things, the new rule prohibits the discharge of pollutants from bottom ash and fly ash transport water and limits the amounts of arsenic, mercury, selenium, and nitrate that may be discharged in FGD wastewater. 40 C.F.R. §5 423.13 (g)(1)(i), (h)(1)(i), and (k)(1)(i). Dischargers must meet these limitations "as soon as possible beginning November 1, 2018." Id. (emphasis added). The phrase "as soon as possible" means November 1, 2018, unless the permitting authority establishes a later date based on a well -documented justification and the authority's consideration of certain enumerated factors in the final rule. 40 C.F.R. § 423.11(t). EPA instructs permitting authorities to "provide a well -documented justification for how [they] determined the `as soon as possible' date in the fact sheet or administrative record for the permit" and to "explain why allowing additional time to meet the limitations is appropriate," if that is the authority's conclusion.' As explained in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments,2 rather than properly assess a reasonable timeline for expeditious ELG compliance at Roxboro, as required by the CWA, DEQ has simply rubber-stamped the compliance dates requested by Duke. The January 2017 Revised Draft Permit does not provide for expeditious compliance with the ELGs and instead, endorses Duke's artificially inflated timelines. Because DEQ has not offered a well -documented and supported proposal to delay compliance with the ELGs, DEQ should revise the Draft Permit to require compliance with the ELGs by the presumptive compliance date of November 1, 2018. 1. DEQ Should Require Roxboro To Comply With A Zero Discharge Standard For Bottom Ash Transport Water By November 1, 2018. As discussed in detail in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments' and in the accompanying 1 See U.S. EPA, TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENT FOR THE EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS GUIDELINES 2 See Sierra Club November 4, 2016 Comments, attached as Exhibit 1, at 9-11. 3 Id. at 9-10. assessment by Dr. Ranajit Sahu4—attached here as Exhibits 1 and 2—Roxboro should be able to comply with a zero discharge standard for bottom ash transport water well before the Revised Draft Permit's proposed deadline of April 30, 2021. Yet, as in the prior permit draft, DEQ appears to have simply copied Duke's proposed compliance schedule into the Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheets and offers no independent or well -documented explanation for why additional compliance time and extended dumping of polluted bottom ash wastewater into Hyco Lake is appropriate. DEQ has not responded, or it seems considered, our November 2016 comments on setting and documenting appropriate compliance timelines, nor has DEQ verified Duke's requested schedule. Duke intends to comply with the zero discharge standard for bottom ash transport water by converting from wet to dry handling using a remote mechanical drag system ("RMDS"). In addition to the revised ELGs, the North Carolina Coal Ash Management Act ("CAMA") also requires conversion to dry ash handling by December 31, 2019, and Duke already has begun preparations for this conversion at Roxboro. Nonetheless, Duke has requested until April 30, 2021 to meet the zero discharge standard- 15 months beyond the state deadline and 30 months beyond EPA's default compliance date. Despite the fact that Duke plans to install the RMDS equipment and convert to dry ash handling by December 31, 2019 in order to comply with CAMA, the utility inexplicably requests an additional 15 months to eliminate discharges of bottom ash transport water. Duke's compliance timeline is unsupported and artificially elongated, using inflated estimates of the time required to complete tasks, failing to allow for overlapping tasks which can be completed simultaneously, and making unsubstantiated claims regarding resource shortages and permitting delays. As described in our previous comments and Dr. Sahu's assessment, Duke has been on notice of its ELGs compliance for years now and has been planning to convert to dry ash handling at Roxboro under CAMA since September 2014, providing Duke plenty of time to begin working toward compliance. Indeed, in its final rule, EPA instructed, "[r]egardless of when a plant's NPDES permit is ready for renewal, the plant should immediately begin evaluating how it intends to comply with the requirements of the final ELGs. In cases where significant changes in operation are appropriate, the plant should discuss such changes with the permitting authority and evaluate appropriate steps and a timeline for the changes, even prior to the permit renewal process." 80 Fed. Reg. 67,882-83 (emphasis added). Dr. Sahu concludes, based on Duke's own statements and planning activities to date, that Duke could achieve compliance with the bottom ash transport water ELGs at Roxboro by September 2018, at the latest. Indeed, depending on the scope of the required conversions at a particular coal plant, industry itself projects that the total time needed for bottom ash system retrofits ranges from 27 to 36 months, from the start of conceptual engineering to final commissioning.' fiAt Duke Energy's own 4 Dr. Ranajit Sahu, Technical Assessment of Feasibility of Timely Compliance with the ELG Rule Requirements for Bottom Ash Transport Water and FGD Wastewater at the Roxboro Power Plant (Nov. 4, 2016) attached as Exhibit 2. s DEQ, Draft Permit Fact Sheet for Roxboro Steam Electric Generating Plant Gan. 21, 2017) at 4 ["Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet"]. 6 Duke Energy, NPDES Wastewater Permit Application Submittal #8 (Aug. 15, 2016). 7 Utility Water Act Group, Comments on EPA's Proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam 2 Mayo Plant, for example, a wet -to -dry bottom ash handling system conversion was completed in under a year and a half' At the South Carolina Electric & Gas Company Wateree plant, conversion to a closed -loop bottom ash handling system was completed in two and a half years from bidding of the contracts to project completion.' In 2010, the BL England Station retrofitted a recycle system on two coal -burning units (one is 125-MW, the other is 155-MW) as well as a 170-MW oil -burning unit in less than two years from award of the contract to operation of the new system.10 Delaying compliance with the zero discharge standard for bottom ash transport water beyond November 1, 2018 is unnecessary and will gratuitously put public and environmental health at risk. Bottom ash transport water is known to contain a number of toxic metals in both suspended and dissolved form." Yet DEQ continues to require no limits on highly toxic metals discharged in bottom ash transport water at Roxboro, including arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium, chromium, lead, selenium, and mercury. Especially since EPA updated the ELGs to address the "outstanding public health and environmental problem" related to the discharge of effluent containing toxic and other pollutants from power plants, DEQ has all the more reason to require Roxboro to comply with the zero discharge standard by the November 1, 2018 deadline. 2. DEQ Should Require Roxboro To Comply With Effluent Limitations For FGD Wastewater By November 1. 2018. Roxboro must meet new technology -based effluent limits for FGD wastewater discharges into Hyco Lake by November 1, 2018. 40 C.F.R. § 423.13(g) (1) (i). The revised ELGs set daily maximum and monthly average limits on concentrations of arsenic, mercury, selenium, and nitrate/nitrite in discharges of FGD wastewater. These limits represent what is achievable if FGD wastewater is treated using chemical precipitation and an anoxic/anaerobic fixed -film biological treatment system. 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,850. Duke already utilizes a biological treatment system at Roxboro, which it plans to upgrade in order to meet the ELGs. DEQ proposes to adopt Duke's requested compliance schedule, allowing until December 31, 2023—the latest possible date allowed —to meet the FGD wastewater ELGs.12 Again, as Electric Posner Generating Point Source Category (Sept. 30, 2013), Attach. 11: Retrofitting Dry Bottom Ash Handling. 8 See DEF Progress, Inc., Mayo Steam Electric Generating Plant, Quarterly Progress Report 0anuasy — March 2015) ("Dry bottom ash handling system began construction on December 14, 2012. As of March 31, 2014, construction of this system was 100% complete."). 9 U.S. EPA, Final Notes from Site Visit at South Carolina Electric & Gas Company's Wlateree Station on January 24, 2013, DCN SE03779, available athttp://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009- 0819-1917. 10 Dennis Del Vecchio and Robert G. Walsh, Wet to Dry Bottom Ash Disposal Conversion Project - BL England Station, Posner -Gen, December 2011, February 2008 - February 2010. 11 See e.g., U.S. EPA, Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category: Final Detailed Study Report, EPA 821-R-09-008, 3-19 (Oct. 2009); U.S. EPA, Development Document for Final Effluent Limitations Guidelines, New Source Performance Standards, and Pretreatment Standards for the Steam Electric Point Source Category, Table V-33 (Nov. 1982). 12DEQ, Draft Permit No. NCO038377 for Roxboro Steam Electric Generating Plant Qan. 21, 2017) at 55 A.(10)-A.(11) ["Revised Draft Permit']; Revised Permit Fact Sheet at 10; Duke Energy, NPDES Wastewater Permit Application Submittal #8 (Aug. 15, 2016). expressed in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments,13 there is no justification for Duke needing over seven years from its proposed schedule to meet the FGD wastewater ELGs at Roxboro. Duke's schedule is inflated, offers unsupported claims regarding vendors and capabilities, and fails to account for prior planning, completed tasks, and Duke's substantial experience with similar systems, including at Roxboro. As Dr. Sahu explains in his assessment, Duke should be able to complete upgrades and meet the FGD wastewater ELGs by November 2019 at the latest, and possibly sooner. DEQ has not responded to our November 2016 comments and once again fails to offer a well -documented justification for the prolonged compliance FGD wastewater ELGs period in the Revised Draft Permit or to verify and evaluate Duke's proposed delays. Nothing in Duke's permit renewal application or updates justifies an extension of the default compliance timeline until December 31, 2023. As such, DEQ should modify the Revised Draft Permit to require Roxboro to meet the new FGD wastewater ELG limits by November 1, 2018. B. DEQ Must Establish Technology -Based Effluent Limitations Using Best Professional Judgment. The CWA requires technology -based effluent limitations ("TBELs") as a minimum level of control for NPDES permits. In the absence of national ELGs reflecting BAT, or where such guidelines are inadequate, a state permitting agency must promulgate permit effluent limitations, in accordance with BAT, on a case -by -case basis using the permit writer's best professional judgment ("BPJ"). 40 C.F.R. § 125.3(c)(2) and (3); see also Texas Oil & Gas Assn v. EPA, 161 F.3d 923, 928-29 (5th Cir. 1998). In doing so, the state agency is bound by the same factors that EPA is required to apply in determining and applying BAT limits in a permit. 33 U.S.C. §§ 1311(b), 1342(b); see also 33 U.S.C. § 1314(b)(2)(B); Natural Res. Def. Council v. EPA, 859 F.2d 156,183 (D.C. Cir. 1988). As explained in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments,14 DEQ has failed to perform BAT site -specific analyses at Roxboro. In particular, DEQ has not evaluated BAT for dewatering Roxboro's ash ponds, despite applicable technology being available" and in use. For example, in Virginia, Dominion installed a treatment system at its Bremo plant to reduce pollutant concentrations in legacy ash basin wastewater before dewatering.16 Dominion also installed a treatment plant at its Possum Point plant for legacy ash wastewater. Treatment systems now operating at these two plants have treated toxic constituents, including arsenic, antimony, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and selenium, to levels below quantification limits (e.g., 5 ug/L).17 13 See Sierra Club November 4, 2016 Comments, attached as Exhibit 1, at 11. 14 Id. at 8. is A technology is considered "available" where there is, or could feasibly be, use within an industry. Courts have explained that even if "no plant in a given industry has adopted a pollution control device which could be installed [this] does not mean that the device is not `available."' Hooker Cbems. & Plastics Corp. v. Train, 537 F.2d 620, 636 (2d Cir. 1976). Likewise, a technology is "economically achievable" under the BAT standard if it is affordable for the best -run facility within an industry. See, e.g., Reynolds Metals Co. v. EPA, 760 F.2d 549 (4th Cir. 1985). 16 Settlement Agreement between the James River Association and Virginia Electric and Power Company d/b/a Dominion Virginia Power (Mar. 7, 2016), available at https: / /www.dom.com/library/domcom/pdfs/corporate/ our-commitments/environment/ coal-ash/bremo- s ettlement.pdPla= en. 17 See DOMINION, WATER TREATMENT AND TESTING, https://www.dom.com/about-us/news- 4 EPA Region 4 has, appropriately, called for the development of technology -based standards on a case -by -case basis for discharges of legacy ash wastewater from Duke Energy's coal ash ponds in North Carolina: The EPA notes that any permit modifications should include additional technology - based effluent limitations on a case -by -case basis based on best professional judgment as required section [sic] by 5 402(a) of the Clean Water Act, 40 CFR 5 122.44(a), 5 123.25, and § 125.3 In particular any additional technology -based effluent limitations should address pollutants discharged from the ash ponds that are not included in effluent guidelines for the steam electric power generating industry in 40 CFR Part 23.15 It is unclear whether DEQ has considered TBELs for decanting and dewatering the Roxboro ash basins. The Revised Draft Permit notes that "[w]hen the facility commences the ash pond decanting/dewatering, the facility shall treat the wastewater discharged from the ash pond by physical -chemical treatment."" However, DEQ offers no additional explanation as to what particular treatment is required and there is no evidence in the permitting record of DEQ's consideration of technological -based limits for decanting and dewatering or that DEQ performed site -specific analyses of technological -based limits for any flows. DEQ must assess appropriate TBELs for all effluent discharges —particularly for treating legacy ash wastewater from the ash pond, develop effluent limits accordingly, and revise Roxboro's permit. C. The Revised Draft Permit Fails To Set Adequate Water Quality -Based Effluent Limitations For Roxboro's Toxic Pollutant Discharges. In addition to omitting appropriate BAT standards, the Revised Draft Permit's effluent limitations appear insufficient to adequately protect water quality and meet requirements for water quality -based effluent limits ("WQBELs"). Despite documented high levels of toxic contaminants in discharge water, DEQ's methods seem to underestimate pollutant levels in both discharge and receiving waters, resulting in effectively no limits on nearly all of these pollutants. After application of the most stringent treatment technologies available under the BAT standard, if a discharge causes or contributes to, or has the reasonable potential to cause or contribute to, violation of water quality standards, permitting agencies must include in the governing NPDES permit any limits necessary to ensure that water quality standards are maintained and not violated. See 40 C.F.R. § 122.44(d); see also Am. Paper Inst. P. EPA, 996 F.2d 346, 350 (D.C. Cit. 1993); IFlaterkeeperAlliance, Inc. v. EPA, 399 F.3d 486, 502 (2d. Cir. 2005). Agencies must conduct a reasonable potential analysis ("RPA") and determine whether additional narrative and numeric water WQBELs are required to protect human health and aquatic life. 40 C.F.R. § 122.44(d)(1). center/electric-projects-and-initiatives/coal-ash-pond-closure-management/water-testing-results (last visited Jan. 3, 2016). 18 Letter from Mark J. Nuhfer, Chief, Municipal & Industrial NPDES Section, EPA Region 4 to Jeffrey Poupart, Chief, Permitting Section, Division of Water Quality, North Carolina Department of Environment & Natural Resources (Sep. 16, 2014), available at http://edocs.deq.nc.gov/WaterResources/O/doc/266481 /Pagel .aspx. 19 Revised Draft Permit §5 A.(2), A.(3). As described in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments,20 selenium, arsenic, and molybdenum were all found in Roxboro's ash pond wastewater at concentrations above North Carolina water quality standards. Selenium was found at Outfall 002 (ash pond discharge) in concentrations as high as 68.8 µg/L—in other words, nearly three times the daily maximum protective discharge limit that EPA has set for FGD wastewater in the ELGs.21 At Outfall 003 (discharge canal that dumps combined wastewaters into Hyco Lake), arsenic levels of 17.1 ug/L have been documented —again, far above EPA's daily discharge limit of 11 ug/L.22 Yet these high levels of pollutants do not appear to be incorporated into DEQ's RPA. For example, despite recorded arsenic levels as high as 17.1 ug/L at Outfall 003, the RPA lists a maximum predicted concentration of 5 ug/L.23 Likewise, regardless of high concentrations of selenium, the RPA shows a maximum value of only 4.1 ug/L.24 No RPA was even performed for molybdenum impacts. These omissions may be in part due to DEQ's use of an outdated and incomplete data set dating back to 2010 and 2011.25 The result, in any event, is that the Revised Draft Permit sets no limits whatsoever on toxic contaminants known to exist in Roxboro's ash wastewater, such as selenium, arsenic, and molybdenum; only thallium is restricted at Outfall 003.26 Furthermore, DEQ's RPA uses incorrect baselines that fail to account for highly polluted water in Hyco Lake. The Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet states that "[f]or the purposes of the RPA, the background concentrations for all parameters were assumed to be below detection level.i2' This is clearly inaccurate and fails to account for the known, heavy pollution at Hyco Lake following years of coal ash dumping. For example, sampling of "surface water, sediments and fish tissue has continued to show elevated levels of coal ash contaminants including arsenic, boron, selenium, copper, and others.i21 Finally, DEQ has doubled the daily discharge limit on ash pond dewatering from 1 million gallons per day in the August 2016 Draft Permit to 2 million gallons per day in the January 2017 Revised Draft Permit, with no explanation.29 In both drafts, dumping is essentially unrestricted. DEQ should justify this increase and why this level of dumping has been deemed safe. The Revised Draft Permit allows Duke to dump millions of gallons of polluted coal ash water into Hyco Lake without any meaningful effluent limits on critical coal ash wastewater constituents. We urge DEQ to revisit its RPA, after selecting BAT, and to ensure that WQBELs are sufficient to protect public waters. D. The Revised Draft Permit Attempts To Sanctions Hazardous, Illegal Seeps 20 See Sierra Club November 4, 2016 Comments, attached as Exhibit 1, at 7-9. 21 Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 3; 40 C.F.R. § 423.13(g)(1)(i). 22 Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 4; 40 C.F.R. § 423.13(g)(1)(i). 23 Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 25, 35-36. 24 Id. at 25, 29-31. 25 Id. at 5. 26 Revised Draft Permit at § A. (4). 27 Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 5 (emphasis added). 28 See Southern Environmental Law Center Nov. 4, 2016 Comments on Draft NPDES Wastewater Permit #NC0003426. 29 Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 4; Revised Draft Permit at § A.(3). Rather than Require Corrective Action. DEQ cannot permit the illegal discharge of polluted wastewater through seeps, as referenced in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments.30 Sixteen unpermitted seeps discharging pollutants from coal ash pollutants have been identified at Roxboro.31 Rather than require Duke to take corrective action, DEQ proposes to include fifteen of the seeps in the Revised Draft Permit: DEQ proposes to regulate four of the seeps "through a common outfall to Hyco Reservoir at the intake canal" via Outfall 001 and to cover eleven more under Outfall 003.32 The seeps are unauthorized discharges to Waters of the United States. 33 U.S.C. § 1311; 40 C.F.R. §122.1(b)(1). Under the CWA, "[e]very identifiable point that emits pollution is a point source which must be authorized by a NPDES permit." U.S. P. Tom-KatDet,., Inc., 614 F. Supp. 613, 614 (D. Alaska 1985) (citing 40 C.F.R. 5 122.1(b) (1)). DEQ has acknowledged that "[r]eleases of this nature would typically be addressed through an enforcement action requiring their elimination rather than permitting" and that the "CWA NPDES permitting program does not normally envision permitting of uncontrolled releases from treatment systems; such releases are difficult to monitor and control, and it is difficult to accurately predict their impact on water quality. ,33 In fact, DEQ previously sought a permanent injunction requiring Duke to take corrective action to stop the Roxboro seeps, finding that the seeps posed a serious danger to the health, safety, and welfare of the people and waters of North Carolina.34 DEQ cannot sanction Duke Energy's illegal discharges into jurisdictional waters and shield Duke from the legal consequences of its unlawful activity. To ensure compliance with water quality standards, protect the structural integrity of Roxboro's coal ash dams, and avoid violating anti - backsliding requirements, DEQ must require that the leaking of contaminated water from all of the seeps be stopped. E. Toxic Ash Coal Ash Must Be Removed From The Ash Basins In Order To Prevent Continued Contamination Of Ground And Surface Waters. DEQ must address the unauthorized, polluting discharges of hydrologically connected groundwater and seeps from the ash basins to Hyco Lake and its tributaries. Approximately 19.5 million tons of coal ash is stored in the unlined ash basins at Roxboro, resting far below the water table.35 Contaminants from the coal ash are actively polluting groundwater at the site and flowing into Hyco Lake and will continue to leach into ground and surface waters so long as the coal ash 30 Sierra Club November 4, 2016 Comments, attached as Exhibit 1, at 12-13; see also Southern Environmental Law Center Nov. 4, 2016 Comments on Draft NPDES Wastewater Permit #NC0003426. 31 Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 10. 32 Id. at 2, 10-11; Revised Draft Permit at A. (1), A. (4). 33 See NCDENR/DWR, FACT SHEET FOR NPDES PERMIT DEVELOPMENT, No. NC0004979, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC — Allen Steam Station, at 2 (2015). 34 See Southern Environmental Law Center Nov. 4, 2016 Comments on Draft NPDES Wastewater Permit #NC0003426, citing Verified Complaint & Motion for Injunctive Relief, State of North Carolina ex. rel. N.C. DENIK, DWQ v. Duke Energy Progress LLC, No. 13 CVS 11032 (Wake Co., August 16, 2013). 35 Id. at 2. remains in place.36 The only way to prevent further ground and surface water contamination — including from the unpermitted ash basin seeps, which cannot otherwise meet permit limits —is to remove the, the legacy ash wastewater and submerged coal ash in the unlined ash ponds. F. The Revised Draft Permit Contains Inadequate Monitoring Requirements. The Revised Draft Permit's monitoring requirements are inadequate to ensure compliance with corresponding effluent limitations or to properly assess potential water quality impacts, as previously discussed in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments.37 Moreover, DEQ's monitoring frequencies disregard EPA regulations requiring that discharges for all permit effluent limitations, unless impracticable, be sufficient to yield data representative of the monitored activity. 40 C.F.R. 122.48(b). For example, DEQ only imposes monthly, bi-monthly, or even quarterly monitoring requirements at Outfalls 003, 006, 010, 011, 012, 012B, and 012C for daily and monthly effluent limits.31 Likewise, at Outfall 001 for unpermitted seeps,39 the Revised Draft Permit requires just monthly monitoring for the first year, at which time monitoring is only required quarterly for daily and monthly limits.40 And there are no monitoring requirements at all for mercury at Outfall 003, in spite of the fact that mercury has been detected at above 50% of the water quality standard at that outfall, DEQ's own threshold, and the statewide mercury TDL.41 M DEQ's deficient monitoring requirements don't match the proposed discharge limits in the Revised Draft Permit and fail to allow for oversight of discharges and compliance with permit conditions. DEQ should revisit the monitoring conditions to ensure frequent monitoring and sampling that matches effluent limits. G. The Revised Draft Permit Fails To Establish Interim Requirements To Reduce Impingement And Entrainment Impacts. As explained in Sierra Club's November 2016 comments,42 DEQ's approval of an alternate schedule for impingement and entrainment requirements does not eliminate DEQ's obligation to "establish interim BTA requirements in the permit on a site -specific basis based on the Director's best professional judgment." 40 C.F.R. § 125.98(6) (emphasis added). Roxboro's antiquated once - through cooling system uses approximately 1,114 million gallons per day of freshwater from the Hyco Lake and must be brought into compliance with CWA Section 316(b) "as soon as possible." Until the system reaches compliance, it is subject to interim requirements to reduce impingement and entrainment. 36 Id. at 2, 3, 10. 31 Sierra Club November 4, 2016 Comments, attached as Exhibit 1, at 13. 38 Revised Draft Permit at §5 A.(4), A.(6), A.(10), A.(11), A.(12), A.(13), A.(14). 39 DEQ's approach to regulating the seeps in the Draft Permit is impermissible, as discussed herein. However, the daily limits at these proposed "outfalls" should theoretically also require daily monitoring, and should in actuality be monitored regularly until the leaks have been repaired. 40 Revised Draft Permit at A. (1). 41 Id. at A. (4); Revised Draft Permit Fact Sheet at 5. 42 Sierra Club November 4, 2016 Comments, attached as Exhibit 1, at 11-12. Facilities like Roxboro are required to submit an application at the same time as their NPDES permit renewal application with information supporting entrainment and impingement technology decisions. 40 C.F.R. § 122.21. Facilities with permits expiring before July 14, 2018 may request an alternate schedule for information submittal, to be granted only if "the owner or operator of the facility demonstrates that it could not develop the required information by the applicable date for submission."40 C.F.R. § 125.95(a)(2). However, permitting agencies must still establish interim BTA requirements in the permit using BPJ on a site -specific basis. 40 C.F.R. § 125.98(6). There is, still, no indication that DEQ has made any attempt to develop interim requirements for the Revised Draft Permit. EPA's final rule on impingement and entrainment requirements was released over two full ago and Duke submitted its NPDES permit renewal application in 2011, giving DEQ adequate time to begin assessing interim impingement and entrainment requirements. DEQ must revise Roxboro's permit once more and, at minimum, evaluate interim BTA standards based on DEQ's BPJ and consideration of the factors and technologies specified at 40 C.F.R. §§ 125.94 & 125.98. CONCLUSION We urge DEQ to incorporate these changes into the Revised Draft Permit, to amend the remaining defects, and to protect Person County waters. We thank DEQ for its attention to and consideration of these comments. Please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned if you would like to discuss them further. Sincerely, /s/ Elizabeth Tedsen Winkelman Law Office of Elizabeth T. Winkelman Phone: 530-524-2702 Email: etedsenlaw@gmail.com Outside Counsel for Sierra Club Bridget Lee Sierra Club 50 F Street NW, Eighth Floor Washington, DC 20001 Phone: 202-675-6275 Email: bridget.lee@sierraclub.org Cc: EPA Region 4 (r4npdespermits@epa.gov) Molly Davis, Chief, NPDES Permitting Section (davis.molly@epa.gov) Paul Schwartz, Assistant Regional Counsel (schwartz.paul@epa.gov) Karrie ]o Shell, National Energy Sector Permitting Expert (shell.karrie-jo@epa.gov) Exhibit 1 .,� SIERRA CLUB November 4, 2016 Via E-mail to publiccomments@ncdenr.gov S. Jay Zimmerman, Director North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources Wastewater Permitting ATTN: Roxboro Permit 1617 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1617 Re: Comments on Draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit for Duke Energy's Roxboro Steam Electric Plant, Permit No. NC0003425 Dear Mr. Zimmerman, On behalf of our North Carolina members and supporters, Sierra Club respectfully submits these comments on the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit for Duke Energy's Roxboro Steam Electric Plant ("Roxboro" or the "Plant"), Permit No. NC0003425 ("Draft Permit"), noticed for public comment by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality ("DEQ"). As set forth below, the Draft Permit violates the Clean Water Act because it fails to set adequate effluent limitations, establishes unreasonably long timelines for compliance with Effluent Limitation Guidelines ("ELGs"), fails to set interim requirements for impingement and entrainment, attempts to permit illegal seeps, and contains insufficient monitoring requirements. Given these and other defects in the Draft Permit identified below (as well as those discussed more fully in comments submitted by the Southern Environmental Law Center, which we hereby incorporate fully be reference), we urge DEQ to withdraw the Draft Permit, revise it to address such defects, and reissue it for public comment. I. BACKGROUND A. Roxboro Steam Electric Station With the ability to generate more than 2,200 megawatts of energy, the Roxboro Plant is the largest coal-fired power plant in North Carolina. The Plant is also one of the oldest, with its first unit coming online in 1966. The Plant withdraws large quantities of water from adjacent Hyco Lake for cooling and steam generation purposes and returns a portion of that water to the river at exceedingly high temperatures. The Plant is equipped with flue gas desulfurization ("FGD") systems (or "scrubbers") and with selective catalytic reduction ("SCR") systems. These systems remove pollutants from the Plant's exhaust gases, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury, but their operation results in the generation of coal combustion residuals and wastewater streams with higher concentrations of toxic pollutants. The Plant is located on Hyco Lake in Person County, North Carolina, about 7 miles northwest of the City of Roxboro. Hyco Lake, a popular destination for fishing and other outdoor recreation, is designated as a Class WS-V and Class B water because, among other uses, the lake is used "for primary recreation, including frequent or organized swimming."' Nevertheless, the Plant currently discharges coal ash pond wastewater, stormwater runoff, ash landfill runoff, chemical metal cleaning wastes treatment basin, FGD wastewater, cooling water, coal pile runoff, and other wastewaters into Hyco Lake.2 By Duke's estimates, approximately 19.5 million tons of coal combustion residuals (or "coal ash"), including fly and bottom ash, are stored in two on -site, unlined surface impoundments, or coal ash ponds, as well as additional millions on an unlined landfill and other unlined fill areas. The on -site ash ponds have a number of seeps, which DEQ has acknowledged could pose a serious threat to public health and environmental quality.3 Duke has faced significant public pressure and legal challenges to address its primitive and dangerous ash handling practices, but has nevertheless refused to remove coal ash from its unlined ponds at Roxboro and other sites across the state. B. Governing Law and Regulations In enacting the Clean Water Act, Congress established as a national goal the elimination of all discharges of pollution into navigable waters.4 The Act's implementing regulations are designed to ensure that this ambitious goal will be met and, to this end, establish the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permitting program. Under this program, no pollutant may be discharged from any point source without a NPDES permit, and any failure to comply with such a permit constitutes a violation of the Clean Water Act.5 The NPDES permit program is an integral part of the Act's plan to eliminate pollution discharges and restore and maintain the health and integrity of the nation's waters.6 In North Carolina, the Environmental Management Commission ("BMC") and DEQ are tasked with ensuring the requirements of the federal permit program are met through the operation of the state NPDES permitting program. 1 15A NCAC 2B.0219; see also Fact Sheet at 1; 15A NCAC 213.0218. 2 See Roxboro Steam Electric Plant NPDES Permit No. NC0003425 Fact Sheet (hereinafter "Permit Fact Sheet") 6. 3 State of North Carolina ex rel. N.C. DENR, DWQ v. Duke Energy Progress, LLC, No. 13 CVS 11032 (Wake Co., Aug. 16, 2013). 4 33 U.S.C. § 1251(a)(1). 5 33 U.S.C. §§ 1311(a) and 1342(a); 40 C.F.R. § 122.41(a). 6 33 U.S.C. § 1342. 7 See 15A N.C. ADMIN. CODE §§ 2A.0105, 2A.0107. PA 1. Technology and Water Quality Based Effluent Limitations The Clean Water Act requires that NPDES permits include effluent limits based on the performance achievable through the use of statutorily -prescribed levels of technology that "will result in reasonable further progress toward the national goal of eliminating the discharge of all pollutants."8 Technology -based effluent limitations ("TBELs") constitute a minimum level of controls that must be included in a NPDES permit "regardless of a discharge's effect on water quality."9 For facilities like the Roxboro Plant, discharges of pollutants must be eliminated or controlled through application of Best Available Technology ("BAT").10 In accordance with the Act's goal to eliminate all discharges of pollutants, BAT limits "shall require the elimination of discharges of all pollutants if the Administrator finds, on the basis of information available to him ... that such elimination is technologically and economically achievable ...."11 A technology is considered "available" where there has been or could be practicable use within an industry.' Courts have explained that even where "no plant in a given industry has adopted a pollution control device which could be installed does not mean that the device is not 'available,"' thus ensuring that industry cannot game the system by all agreeing to not adopt the latest, best pollution control technology.13 A discharger of pollutants may also be required to transfer a particular technology that has been used in another context where the transfer is practicable. Likewise, a technology is "economically achievable" under the BAT standard if it is affordable for the best -run facility within an industry.14 The requirement to meet the BAT standard is ongoing; it compels polluting industries to meet ever more stringent limitations on the path towards complete elimination of water pollution.15 With each renewal of a NPDES permit, the permitting agency must reconsider whether further pollution reductions are attainable. The objective of the law is continuous, rapid improvement: The BAT standard reflects the intention of Congress to use the latest scientific research and technology in setting effluent limits, pushing industries toward the goal of zero discharge as quickly as possible. In setting BAT, EPA uses not the a 33 U.S.C. § 131l(b)(2)(A)(i), see also id. § 131l(b)(1)(A). 9 Am. Petroleum Inst. v. EPA, 661 F.2d 340, 344 (5th Cir. 1981). 10 See 33 U.S.C. § 1311(b)(2)(A). " 33 U.S.C. § 131 l(b)(2)(A). 12 See Chem. Mfrs. Assn v. EPA, 870 F.2d 177, 226 (5th Cir. 1989) ("Congress intended these [BAT] limitations to be based on the performance of the single best -performing plant in an industrial field."). 13 Hooker Chems. & Plastics Corp. v. Train, 537 F.2d 620, 636 (2d Cir. 1976). 14 See, e.g., Reynolds Metals Co. v. EPA, 760 F.2d 549, 562 (4th Cir. 1985); Tanner's Council ofAm. v. Train, 540 F.2d 1188, 1191-92 (4th Cir. 1976). 15 See NRDC v. EPA, 822 F.2d 104, 123 (D.C. Cir. 1987). average plant, but the optimally operating plant, the pilot plant which acts as a beacon to show what is possible.16 In sum, "BAT should represent a commitment of the maximum resources economically possible to the ultimate goal of eliminating all polluting discharges."17 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") periodically codifies national effluent limitation guidelines ("ELGs") for NPDES permits that reflect BAT standards for particular discharges, pollutants, and activities found in a category of point sources.18 Where those guidelines have been set, they establish the floor —the minimum level of control that must be imposed in an NPDES permit. However, where EPA has not set ELGs for a pollutant or source or particular activity, or where such guidelines are inadequate, a state permitting agency must promulgate permit effluent limitations, in accordance with BAT, on a case -by -case basis using the permit writer's best professional judgment.19 In doing so, the state agency is bound by the same factors that EPA is required to apply in determining and applying BAT limits in a permit.20 EPA recently updated its ELGs for steam electric power plants, like Roxboro. EPA's final rule, published in November 2015, noted: "[s]team electric power plants contribute the greatest amount of all toxic pollutants discharged to surface waters by industrial categories regulated under the [Clean Water Act]."21 Among other things, the new rule prohibits the discharge of pollutants from fly ash and bottom ash transport water and limits the amount of arsenic, mercury, selenium, and nitrate that may be discharged in FGD wastewater.22 Dischargers must meet these limitations "as soon as possible beginning November 1, 2018, but no later than December 31, 2023."23 The rule further provides that "as soon as possible date means November 1, 2018, unless the permitting authority establishes a later date, after receiving information from the discharger" and considering certain factors specified in the rule.24 Where a permitting authority establishes a later compliance date, it must "provide a well -documented justification ... in the fact sheet or administrative record for the permit" explaining "why allowing additional 16 Kennecott v. EPA, 780 F.2d 445, 448 (4th Cir. 1985) (citing 1 Legislative History of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, 798 (Committee Print compiled for the Senate Committee on Public Works by the Library of Congress), Ser. No. 93-1 (1973)). 17 Natural Res. Def. Council v. EPA, 863 F.2d 1420, 1426 (9th Cir. 1988) (quotations omitted); see also EPA v. Nat'l Crushed Stone Assn, 449 U.S. 64, 74-75 (1980) (if a discharger of pollutants can afford the best available technology, then it must meet, and should not be allowed a variance from, stringent BAT limits). 18 See 40 C.F.R. § 423. 19 40 C.F.R. § 125.3(c)(2) and (3); see also Texas Oil & Gas Assn v. EPA, 161 F.3d 923, 928-29 (5th Cir. 1998). 20 See 33 U.S.C. §§ 131 l(b) & 1342(b); see also 33 U.S.C. § 1314(b)(2)(B); Natural Res. Def Council v. EPA, 859 F.2d 156, 183 (D.C. Cir. 1988). 21 U.S. EPA, Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category, 80 Fed. Reg. 67,838 (Nov. 3, 2015) (codified at 40 C.F.R. Pt. 423). 22 40 C.F.R. §§ 423.13 (g)(1)(i), (h)(1)(i), and (k)(1)(i). 23 Id. 24 40 C.F.R. § 423.1 l(t); 80 Fed. Reg. at 67883. 2 time to meet the limitations is appropriate, and why the discharger cannot meet the final effluent limitations as of November 1, 2018."25 2. Water Quality Requirements One of the most important functions that a state performs under the Clean Water Act is to promulgate water quality standards.26 Water quality standards consist of both "designated `uses' for a body of water (e.g., public water supply, recreation, agriculture) and a set of `criteria' specifying the maximum concentration of pollutants that may be present in the water without impairing its suitability for designated uses."27 After application of the most stringent treatment technologies available under the BAT standard, if a discharge causes or contributes, or has the reasonable potential to cause or contribute to a violation of water quality standards, the permitting agency must also include any limits in the NPDES permits necessary to ensure that water quality standards (both narrative and numeric) are maintained and not violated —these limits are generally referred to as Water Quality Based Effluent Limits ("WQBELs").28 Only after an analysis of available treatment technologies is conduced will WQBELs be developed. 3. Cooling Water Systems Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act requires that the "location, design, construction, and capacity of cooling water intake structures reflect the best technology available (`BTA") for minimizing adverse environmental impact" —including impingement, entrainment, and increased water temperature.29 As with all technology -based standards, dischargers must comply with Section 316(b)'s technology -based effluent limitations immediately, meaning that the Roxboro Plant should have been brought into compliance long ago. The Plant now must be brought into compliance with Section 316(b) "as soon as possible," and, in the interim, must be subject to "interim requirements and dates for their achievement." 30 In 2004, EPA published regulations designed to implement Section 316(b) at existing power plants like Roxboro. Following lejal challenges, however, the Second Circuit remanded numerous aspects of the rule to the EPA. 1 The U.S. Supreme Court reviewed the Second Circuit's decision on the limited issue of whether Section 316 authorizes EPA to balance costs 25 80 Fed. Reg. at 67883. 26 See 33 U.S.C. §§ 1313(a)—(c) (requiring states to adopt water quality standards and requiring EPA to set water quality standards when states fail to do so). 27 American Paper Inst. v. EPA, 996 F.2d 346, 349 (D.C. Cir. 1993); see 33 U.S.C. § 1313(c)(2)(A). 26 See 40 C.F.R. § 122.44(d). "[T]he permit must contain effluent limits" for any pollutant for which the state determines there is a reasonable potential for the pollutant to cause or contribute to a violation. Id. § 122.44(d)(1)(iii); see also Am. Paperinst. v. EPA, 996 F.2d 346, 350 (D.C. Cir. 1993); Waterkeeper Alliance, Inc. v. EPA, 399 F.3d 486, 502 (2d. Cir. 2005). 29 33 U.S.C. § 1326(b). 30 40 C.F.R. § 122.47(a); see also 33 U.S.C. § 131l(b). 31 See Riverkeeper Inc. v. U.S. Envtl. Prot. Agency, 475 F.3d 83 (2d Cir. 2007) [hereinafter Riverkeeper II]. 5 and benefits.32 Other aspects of the Riverkeeper II decision were not addressed by the Supreme Court's review. In response to the Second Circuit's remand of extensive portions of the rule, EPA withdrew the entire regulation for existing facilities so that it could revise the rule to be consistent with the Clean Water Act.33 Notwithstanding the withdrawal of those rules, EPA instructed states that they could not lawfully delay NPDES permitting or fail to include BTA determinations in NPDES permits, and that they should continue to make BTA determinations and implement Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act on the basis that they had for forty years —using their best professional judgment ("BPJ"),34 On May 19, 2014, the EPA Administrator signed a new final rule implementing Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act at existing facilities.35 This rule requires existing facilities to adhere to one of seven compliance options as BTA for impingement and mortality reduction and requires DEQ to establish a BTA-based standard for entrainment using BPJ. Facilities like Roxboro are required to submit an application at the same time as their NPDES permit renewal application with information supporting entrainment and impingement technology decisions.36 However, facilities with permits expiring before July 14, 2018 may request an alternative schedule for information submittal, which will be granted only if "the owner or operator of the facility demonstrates that it could not develop the required information by the applicable date for submission."37 When an alternative schedule has been granted, the permitting agency must still establish interim BTA requirements in the permit using BPJ on a site -specific basis. 38 As discussed further below, the new rule does not alter the inevitability of the conclusion that closed -cycle cooling is the best technology available to reduce the adverse environmental impacts of Chesterfield's cooling system. For entrainment control, the new rule specifies five factors that a permit writer must consider when establishing a site -specific entrainment standard: (i) Numbers and types of organisms entrained ... ; (ii) Impact of changes in [air] emissions ... associated with entrainment technologies; (iii) Land availability inasmuch as it relates to the feasibility of entrainment technology; (iv) Remaining [facility] useful plant life; and (v) Quantified and qualitative social benefits and costs of available entrainment technologies when such information on both benefits and costs is of sufficient rigor to make a decision.39 32 Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper, Inc., 556 U.S. 208 (2009). 33 See EPA, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System —Suspension of Regulations Establishing Requirements for Cooling Water Intake Structures at Phase II Existing Facilities; Suspension of Final Rule, 72 Fed. Reg. 37,107 (July 9, 2007). 34 See EPA Memorandum from Benjamin Grumbles, Implementation of the Decision in Riverkeeper, Inc. v. EPA, Remanding the Cooling Water Intake Structures Phase II Regulation (March 20, 2007) ("all permits for Phase II [existing] facilities should include conditions under section 316(b) of the CWA developed on a Best Professional Judgment basis."). 35 79 Fed. Reg. 48,300. 36 40 C.F.R. § 122.21. 37 40 C.F.R. § 125.95(a)(2). 38 40 C.F.R. § 125.98(6). 39 40 C.F.R. § 125.98(f)(2). no In addition, the rule provides that the BTA decision may also be based on six additional factors "to the extent the applicant submitted information ... on these factors," and may also be based on any additional information requested by the permit writer .40 These six additional factors are: (i) Entrainment impacts on the waterbody; (ii) Thermal discharge impacts; (iii) Credit for reductions in flow associated with the retirement of units occurring within the ten years preceding October 14, 2014; (iv) Impacts on the reliability of energy delivery within the immediate area; (v) Impacts on water consumption; and (vi) Availability of process water, gray water, waste water, reclaimed water, or other waters of appropriate quantity and quality for reuse as cooling water.41 To control impingement, the new regulations designate a set of "pre -approved" technologies that a facility can implement to satisfy the BTA standard .42 The regulations also allow a facility to use other technologies to meet the BTA standard if it can show that they will perform sufficiently.43 II. THE DRAFT PERMIT VIOLATES THE CLEAN WATER ACT A. The Draft Permit Fails to Establish Sufficient Effluent Limits for Toxic Pollutants. With the exception of reporting requirements for a handful of pollutants, the Draft Permit fails to include effluent limits for most toxic pollutants that currently are being discharged or will be discharged as part of the ash pond closure process from Outfalls 002, 003, and 006. The priority pollutant scan data submitted by Duke as part of its 2011 NPDES permit renewal application indicate that mercury, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, lead, fluoride, and other harmful pollutants currently are being discharged by Roxboro through external Outfalls 003 and 006. The Draft Permit nevertheless fails to place any limit on these discharges, even during ash pond closure activities, which likely will increase pollutant concentrations in discharge streams. North Carolina law requires Duke to close the ash ponds at the Roxboro Plant by December 31, 2024.44 Duke has indicated that its closure plans will involve the decanting and dewatering of the West ash pond and the discharge of wastewater contaminated with coal ash constituents via Outfalls 002 and 003 into Hyco Lake.45 Other than limits on discharges of oil and grease, total suspended solids, and pH,4 the only restriction the Draft Permit establishes for the dewatering phase is a limit on flow through Outfall 002 of 1 million gallons per day.47 And for Outfall 003, the Draft Permit only sets limits for chlorine and ammonia.48 The Draft Permit 40 40 C.F.R. §§ 125.98(f)(3) and (i). " 40 C.F.R. § 125.98(i). 42 40 C.F.R. § 125.94(c). 43 See 40 C.F.R. §§ 125.94(c)(6) and (7). 44 N.C.G.S.A. § 130A-309.214. 45 See Roxboro Fact Sheet at 4. 46 Draft Permit at 5. 47 See id. at 7. 41 Id. at 8. 7 places no limits whatsoever on discharges of selenium, arsenic, and molybdenum from the ash pond despite the agency's admission that all three toxic pollutants were detected at concentrations higher than the water quality standards.49 Similarly, selenium was detected above the water quality standard at Outfall 006, which discharges coal pile runoff into the Hyco Lake. DEQ nevertheless only imposes quarterly monitoring requirements for selenium discharged from that outfall. 1. DEQ failed to impose TBELs for the Plant's toxic pollutant discharges. The Clean Water Act requires DEQ to use its best professional judgment to assess BAT for Roxboro and impose TBELs accordingly. However, DEQ hardly engaged in any site -specific technology analysis for Roxboro, instead relying ELGs and state water quality and mercury TMDL regulations.50 In doing so, DEQ fails to include any limitation whatsoever on a number of pollutants known to be discharged from Outfalls 002, 003, and 006, including arsenic, mercury, and selenium. This is especially concerning given the serious likelihood of increased toxic pollutant discharge during Roxboro's ash pond closure process. ELGs only represent the minimum technology -based limitations required at plants like Roxboro. DEQ still has a duty to impose any additional limitations that BAT allows, i.e., limitations based on technology that could be practically used in an industry and that is affordable for the best -run facility in that industry.51 DEQ need not even look as far as the industry's top performers to see that some technology is available to control these pollutant discharges at Roxboro. Like Roxboro, another Duke Energy coal plant in North Carolina, the L.V. Sutton Steam Electric Plant, is closing its ash pond through a decanting and dewatering process.52 Unlike Roxboro, however, Sutton's NPDES permit includes effluent limitations for those discharges, including limits on selenium, arsenic, and mercury.53 There is no reason to believe that no technology is available that could curtail discharge of the many pollutants discharged by Roxboro when Duke is currently limiting those pollutants at its other plants. Thus DEQ must assess appropriate TBELs for discharges from the Roxboro ash pond, as well as from the Plant's coal pile runoff discharged through Outfall 006, and impose restrictions at least as stringent as those at Duke's other plants, or else explain why no such technology is available. 2. DEQ failed to impose WQBELs for the Plant's toxic pollutant discharges. In addition to ignoring its duty to impose TBELs at Roxboro based on BAT, effluent limitations included in the Draft Permit are insufficient to adequately protect water quality. Selenium, arsenic, and molybdenum were all found in Roxboro's discharges at concentrations higher than the state's water quality standards, and selenium was found at Outfall 002 (the ash 49 Fact Sheet at 4. so See id. at 3-8. 5140 C.F.R. § 125.3(c)(2) and (3); see also Texas Oil & Gas Assn v. EPA, 161 F.3d 923, 928-29 (5th Cir. 1998); Tanner's Council ofAm. v. Train, 540 F.2d 1188, 1195 (4th Cir. 1976), Hooker Chems. & Plastics Corp. v. Train, 537 F.2d 620, 636 (2d Cir. 1976). 52 See L.V. Sutton Steam Electric Plant NPDES Permit No. NC000142 at 3-4. 53 ld. pond discharge) in concentrations as high as 68.8 µg/1.54 Selenium was also detected at Outfall 006 above water quality standards.55 DEQ nevertheless proposes only monitoring for these pollutants, and only on a quarterly basis for some. Such measures are inadequate to protect water quality. These pollutants must be limited until such time that Roxboro can demonstrate that its discharges are not a threat to water quality. The Draft Permit also fails to limit or even require the monitoring of mercury discharged at Outfall 003. The Fact Sheet notes that mercury was not found in concentrations above the water quality standard of 12 ng/l in samples taken in 2010 and 2011.56 DEQ's failure to establish WQBELs based on this incomplete and outdated sampling data is not justified. Indeed, mercury was detected above 50% of that standard at Outfall 003 in 2010 and 2011.57 As discussed above, DEQ has a duty to establish TBELs for mercury and other pollutants. Moreover, given the fact that ash pond closure discharges will contain large amounts of mercury that could negatively impact water quality, DEQ must establish limits on mercury discharges that will protect water quality. At the very least, DEQ, should require the monitoring necessary to properly assess potential water quality impacts, before pond decanting and dewatering commence. B. The Proposed Deadlines for Compliance with New ELGs Are Not Justified. Rather than properly assess a reasonable timeline for expeditious ELG compliance at Roxboro as required by the Clean Water Act, DEQ has simply rubber stamped the compliance dates requested by Duke. As discussed, Roxboro must comply with the ELGs as soon as possible (i.e., by November 1, 2018 unless DEQ determines that compliance is not possible by that date).58 Any such determination must be well documented and thoroughly explained .59 There is no indication that DEQ made any such determination. Instead, it appears simply to have granted Duke's requested compliance timeline without any independent explanation. In its current form, the Draft Permit allows Duke until April 2021 to comply with the bottom ash transport water ELGs and until December 2023 to comply with the FGD wastewater ELGs at the Roxboro Plant. However, as discussed in detail in the Technical Assessment by Dr. Ranajit Sahu ("Sahu Assessment") [attached hereto], Duke should have no problem complying with these effluent limitations much earlier than contemplated by the Draft Permit. Duke has been on notice of its precise obligations under the updated ELGs since the final rule was published in September 2015 and has known that new requirements were to be adopted for far longer. Indeed, Duke made public statements indicating that it was planning for ELG compliance as early as 2013 and had done enough planning to assess the potential costs of compliance as early as 2014.60 Moreover, Duke has known that dry ash handling would be 54 Fact Sheet at 4. 55 Id. at 8. 56 This is the most recent sample data available. Id. at 6. 57 See Fact Sheet at 6, Table 5: Mercury Evaluation Outfall 003. 58 40 C.F.R. § 423.11(t); 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,883. 59 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,883. 60 See Duke Energy 2013 Annual Report; Duke Energy 2014 Annual Report at 59, available at http://www.annualreports.com/Company/duke-energy-corporation. X required since September 2014, when North Carolina's Coal Ash Management Act ("CAMA") was passed. Therefore, Duke has had plenty of time to begin working toward compliance and has no excuse for waiting until after the Plant's permit renewal to begin doing so. Indeed, in its final rule, EPA instructed "[r]egardless of when a plant's NPDES permit is ready for renewal, the plant should immediately begin evaluating how it intends to comply with the requirements of the final ELGs. In cases where significant changes in operation are appropriate, the plant should discuss such changes with the permitting authority and evaluate appropriate steps and a timeline for the changes, even prior to the permit renewal process."61 Nevertheless, the proposed compliance schedule for meeting ELGs for bottom ash transport water and FGD wastewater completely fails to take into account any previously conducted planning work. Further, Duke's requested timeline for ELG compliance at Roxboro fails to overlap tasks that could clearly be done concurrently, overestimates time needed for certain tasks, and relies on unsubstantiated claims about potential delay due to staffing, permitting, or siting issues. Despite these shortcomings and without any indication of an independent evaluation or even request for addition information from the company, DEQ has proposed to approve Duke's schedule, without any apparent analysis of the schedule's reasonableness. 1. DEQ should require compliance with bottom ash transport water ELGs at the Roxboro Plant by November 1, 2018. As discussed in detail in the Saint Assessment, Duke should be able to comply with the bottom ash transport water ELGs at Roxboro well before the date proposed in the Draft Permit. Bottom ash generated at the Roxboro Plant currently is wet sluiced to the West ash pond, and, in order to comply with the new ELGs, Duke intends to convert the Plant from wet handling of bottom ash to dry handling. North Carolina law also requires the conversion to dry ash handling, but by December 31, 2019. Nevertheless, Duke has requested until April 30, 2021, to convert to dry ash handling16 months beyond the state law deadline and 2 years and 6 months beyond EPA's November 1, 2018 default compliance date. This extra time is simply not justified, and DEQ has offered no evidence that it has scrutinized and verified this claim. Duke's requested April 30, 2021 compliance date is based on artificially inflated estimates of the time required for completion of various tasks. Duke relies on a number of completely unsupported and speculative claims to rationalize its excessively drawn out schedule, requesting a full year to attain a U.S. Army Corps permit, for example, without providing any evidence that such a permit is necessary. The proposed timeline also fails to overlap tasks that can and should be completed concurrently, such as infrastructure construction on site and procurement activities. In addition, Duke claims to need additional time for compliance although it does not specify precisely how much time —on account of a resource shortage caused by compliance efforts at other facilities. As the largest power producer in the nation and a Fortune 500 company, Duke should have no trouble hiring additional staff or third parties. And, as stated above, Duke has been on notice of its upcoming obligations at its various facilities for years now. 61 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,882-83 (emphasis added). 10 2. DEQ should require compliance with FGD wastewater ELGs at the Roxboro Plant by November 2018. Duke has requested until December 31, 2023—the latest possible date allowed for under the rule —to comply with the FGD wastewater ELGs. There is simply no reason why Duke would need more than seven years from today to make the necessary upgrades at the Roxboro Plant. The schedule submitted to DEQ in purported justification of a December 2023 compliance date is grossly inflated, includes unsupported conjecture, and should have been rejected —or, at the very least, questioned. The Roxboro Plant already has some of the treatment system elements necessary for compliance. As discussed in the Sahu Assessment, Duke should be able to complete an update of that system by November 2019 at the absolute latest and very likely could finish the necessary work sooner. Absent an independent evaluation by DEQ supporting an extended compliance timeline, Duke must comply by November 2018. Given the existing FGD wastewater treatment system and Duke's nearly ten years of experience with the system (as well as with similar systems at other plants), Duke is well positioned to comply with the ELGs by November 2018. And the need to retrofit other facilities for ELG compliance does not provide an excuse for delay. In fact, Duke itself has had experience installing FGD wastewater treatment equipment at multiple plants. In addition to the bioreactor system at Roxboro, Duke was able to install three other systems between 2006 and 2009. At the time, this technology was brand new.62 Duke has now had many years of experience with the design, construction, and operation of these systems. There is no justification for the claim that Duke now needs nearly double the time it took to install four brand new systems to now upgrade a single system that it has been working with for years. C. The Draft Permit Fails to Establish Interim Requirements to Reduce the Plant's Impingement and Entrainment Impacts. DEQ's approval of an alternate schedule for Duke's provision of information regarding impingement and entrainment does not eliminate DEQ's obligation to "establish interim BTA requirements in the permit on a site -specific basis based on the Director's best professional judgment. ,63 There is no indication that DEQ has made any attempt to develop interim requirements during this permit renewal cycle. Rather, the Fact Sheet simply states: The permittee shall comply with the Cooling Water Intake Structure Rule per 40 CFR 125.95. The Division approved the facility request for an alternative schedule in accordance with 40 CFR 125.95(a)(2). The permittee shall submit all the materials required by the Rule with the next renewal application.64 Duke first applied for the renewal of the Roxboro Plant's permit in 2011, and EPA's final rule regarding 316(b) was released two full years ago. Accordingly, DEQ has had more than sufficient time to assess interim BTA for Roxboro. As such, any final permit must include, at 62 See "Bugs " Used to Treat FGD Wastewater, Power Engineering (Sept. 2009). 63 Id. (emphasis added). 64 Fact Sheet at 3. 11 minimum, interim BTA standards based on DEQ's best professional judgment and consideration of the factors and technologies specified at 40 C.F.R. §§ 125.94 & 125.98. D. The Draft Permit Would Illegally Legitimize Dangerous Seeps Rather than Requiring Duke to Correct Them. As discussed more robustly in SELC's comments, DEQ's permitting of several seeps from Roxboro's ash pond is highly problematic. Again, to the extent that those issues are not discussed here, Sierra Club adopts SELC's comments by reference. Sixteen unpermitted seeps discharging pollutants from coal ash and other sources were identified at Roxboro.65 Far from requiring Duke to take any corrective action concerning the seeps, DEQ proposes to simply include these seeps, as well as future seeps, in the permit.66 Meanwhile, these seeps discharge toxic pollutants in violation of water quality standards and threaten the structural integrity of the Roxboro dam. DEQ's proposed treatment of seeps in the Draft Permit would effectively legalize decades -long violations of the Clean Water Act. In addition, the Draft Permit also attempts to legitimize seeps that occur in the future that would otherwise be illegal. The Draft Permit provides an express mechanism to "modify" the permit to include such seeps when they spring up, but includes no requirements for public notice and comment on such modification. 7 This is clearly in direct violation of the Clean Water Act; DEQ does not have the authority to authorize new discharges without first engaging in all NPDES permit modification procedures.68 The Draft Permit also attempts to sanction Roxboro's unpermitted seeps by illegally abandoning an independent stream as an outfall for those seeps.69 An effluent channel is meant to convey wastewater to a receiving stream or water body, and therefore cannot itself be a stream.70 Moreover, seeps at Duke's Roxboro facility are violating water quality standards, and, thus, DEQ is prohibited from permitting those seeps as doing so "cannot reasonably ensure compliance with applicable water quality standards" as required by North Carolina law.71 Furthermore, permitting seeps that have previously been illegal violates the Clean Water Act's anti -backsliding provision.72 As DEQ has acknowledged, zero liquid discharge from the ash ponds is the best available technology. In addition, a prohibition on future discharges from the ponds is the most reasonable option for remedying the serious health and environmental concerns associated with the seeps. 6s See id. 66 id. 67 Draft Permit at 14. 68 See 33 U.S.C. § 1342(b) (laying out requirements for state NPDES permitting programs, including provisions for notice and comment, the right to request a hearing, and judicial review). 69 See Fact Sheet at 11; see, e.g., Roxboro CSA, Fig. 2-1 (showing waste boundary for East Ash Basin) 70 15A N.C. Admin. Code 2B.0202. 71 15A N.C. Admin. Code 211.0112(c). 72 33 U.S.C. § 1342(o); 40 C.F.R. § 122.44(1)(1) ("[W]hen a permit is renewed or reissued, interim effluent limitations, standards or conditions must be at least as stringent as the final effluent limitations, standards, or conditions in the previous permit ...."). 12 Thus, DEQ has a duty to impose TBELs based on a zero liquid discharge system immediately. At the very minimum, proper effluent limits must be assessed for and imposed upon each individual seep. E. The Draft Permit Contains Inadequate Monitoring Requirements The Draft Permit's monitoring requirements are inadequate to ensure compliance with corresponding effluent limitations or effectively assess toxic pollution in those discharges. At Outfall 003, for instance, the Draft Permit only contemplates quarterly monitoring of arsenic and selenium, despite the fact that those pollutants were found in concentrations above water quality standards in ash pond water, which will eventually be discharged through Outfall 003.73 DEQ also only imposes quarterly monitoring requirements at Outfall 010 for effluent limitations that apply on a daily and monthly basis.74 At Outfall 001, to be used for certain previously unpermitted seeps, the Draft Permit only requires monthly monitoring for the first year, at which time monitoring is only required quarterly.75 These lax monitoring requirements are clearly insufficient to ensure compliance with effluent limitations and provide critical information on the discharge of pollutants, especially during ash pond closure. Any final permit must be corrected accordingly and include much more robust monitoring requirements. III. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, DEQ should re -issue a new draft NPDES permit for the Roxboro Plant correcting the deficiencies identified above as soon as possible, and notice it for public comment. We thank DEQ for its attention to and consideration of these comments. Please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned if you would like to discuss them further. 73 Draft Permit at 8. 74 Id. at 12. 75 Id. at 4. Sincerely, /s/ Lane Johnson Lane Johnson Law Office of Lane Johnson 1722 Newton Street NW Washington, D.C. 20010 (912) 222-6746 LJohnsonLawOffice@gmail.com Outside Counsel for Sierra Club Bridget Lee Sierra Club 50 F Street NW, 8th Floor Washington, D.C. 20001 (202) 675-6275 bridget.lee@sierraclub.org 13 cc (via e-mail): Molly Davis, Chief, NPDES Permitting Section (davis.molly@epa.gov) Paul Schwartz, Assistant Regional Counsel (schwartz.paul@epa.gov) Karrie-Jo Shell, National Energy Sector Permitting Expert (shell.karrie jo@epa.gov) 14 Exhibit 2 Technical Assessment of Feasibility of Timely Compliance with the ELG Rule Requirements for Bottom Ash Transport Water and FGD Wastewater at the Roxboro Power Plant: Expert Report by Dr. Ranajit (Ron) Sahu November 4, 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVESUMMARY.................................................................................................................................. 1 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 2 2. BOTTOM ASH HANDLING AND FGD WASTEWATER TREATMENT AT THE ROXBOROPLANT............................................................................................................................................. 2 3. THE ELGS....................................................................................................................................................... 4 4. TECHNOLOGY CHOICES........................................................................................................................ 5 A. Vendor Experience and Discussions During the ELG Rulemaking.......................................................................................... 6 B. Utility Water Act Group (UWAG) Comments on Bottom Ash Compliance During Development of the ELGs ........... 9 C. Duke's Actual Experience Installing FGD Treatment at Roxboro............................................................................................. 9 5. DUKE ENERGY'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND PLANNING TO COMPLY WITH THE ELGS...................................................................................................................................................................... 11 A. Duke Energy's 2013 Annual Report and SEC Form 10-K Filing.............................................................................................11 B. Duke Energy's 2014 Annual Report and SEC Form 10-K Filing.............................................................................................11 C. Duke Energy's 2015 Annual Report and SEC Form 10-K Filing.............................................................................................12 6. CRITIQUE OF DUKE'S PROPOSED COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE ............................................ 13 7. COMPARISON OF DUKE'S COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE WITH THAT OF OTHER LARGEPROJECTS............................................................................................................................................ 22 8. CONCLUSIONS.......................................................................................................................................... 23 9. AUTHOR'S EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS......................................................................... 24 ATTACHMENTA - RESUME........................................................................................................................ 25 ATTACHMENT B - LIST OF PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS ...................................... 30 ATTACHMENT C - PREVIOUS EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY ................................................. 32 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is an assessment of the schedule for achieving compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ("EPA") revised effluent limitations guidelines ("ELGs") for bottom ash transport water and flue gas desulfurization ("FGD") wastewater generated at Duke Energy Progress's ("Duke") Roxboro coal-fired power plant (the "Plant") as proposed by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Resources ("DWR") in the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit for the Plant. The draft permit proposes an April 2021 date for compliance with the bottom ash transport water ELGs and a December 2023 date for compliance with the FGD wastewater ELGs. These draft permits do not provide for expeditious compliance with the new requirements and, instead, reflect artificially stretched -out timelines for all phases of work, providing for the unnecessary scheduling of tasks sequentially rather than in parallel, ignoring work that has already been completed or begun, and failing to include sufficient detail to justify the elongated schedules. Based industry -wide recognition of the feasibility of completing the necessary upgrades sooner and on Duke's own experience with these type of upgrades, Duke should be able to achieve compliance with the bottom ash transport water ELGs by September 2018, at the latest, and with the FGD wastewater ELGs by November 2019, at the latest. 1. INTRODUCTION This is an assessment of the schedule for achieving compliance with EPA's revised effluent limitations guidelines for bottom ash transport water' and FGD wastewater generated at Duke's Roxboro Plant proposed in the draft NPDES wastewater permit for the Plant. Specifically, this assessment evaluates Duke's extended schedule for achieving compliance with these requirements and finds this schedule to be unsupported. 2. BOTTOM ASH HANDLING AND FGD WASTEWATER TREATMENT AT THE ROXBORO PLANT Duke operates four generating units at Roxboro: Unit 1 (built in 1966, approximately 410 MW); Unit 2 (built in 1968, approximately 657 NM; Unit 3 (built in 1973, approximately 745 MW); and Unit 4 (built in 1980, approximately 745 MW). All four units were retrofitted with FGD for sulfur dioxide control, between 2007 and 2008. Duke handles bottom ash from all four units using wet sluicing.2 Intake water from Hyco Lake is used for ash sluicing for Units 1-3 and cooling tower blowdown is used for Unit 4. All of the ash sluice water is sent to the ash pond.3 As noted, all four units have FGD systems — Babcock and Wilcox Limestone, forced oxidation, tray - tower scrubbers. According to EPA's notes from a site visit conducted roughly around the time of installation of the scrubbers: Roxboro's FGD wastewater treatment system consists of a settling pond followed by an (sic) biological treatment system for treatment of nitrogen compounds and metals. Wastewater then flows from the bioreactor to the ash pond discharge canal, which commingles with the cooling water discharge canal, and is discharged to Hyco Lake.4 EPA described the Plant's biological treatment system as follows: The bioreactor at Roxboro has four parallel trains that each have two biological cells in series. The wastewater enters at the top of the first cell in the series and flows downward through activated carbon charcoal material. The charcoal material contains microbes to reduce the metals present in the wastewater to their elemental state. The effluent from the first cell is pumped to the top of the second cell in the 1 40 C.F.R. 5 423.11(f) (defusing the term "bottom ash" as "the ash, including boiler slag, which settles in the furnace or is dislodged from furnace walls. Economizer ash is included in this definition when it is collected with bottom ash); 5 423.11(p) (defining the term "transport water" as "any wastewater that is used to convey fly ash, bottom ash, or economizer ash from the ash collection or storage equipment, or boiler, and has direct contact with the ash. Transport water does not include low volume, short duration discharges of wastewater from minor leaks (e.g., leaks from valve packing, pipe flanges, or piping) or minor maintenance events (e.g., replacement of valves or pipe sections)"). 2 See U.S. EPA, Site Visit Notes: Progress Energy Carolinas' Roxboro Steam Electric Plant (March 11, 2008), EPA-HQ- OW-2009-0819-0686, available at https://www.regalations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-0686. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. PA series. The effluent from each of the four trains is combined and discharged to the ash pond canal. Outfall 010 is an internal monitoring point for the FGD effluent prior to it entering the Ash Pond Discharge Canal. Outfall 010 enters the Ash Pond Discharge Canal downstream of outfall 002 (ash pond discharge to the Ash Pond Discharge Canal), but upstream of outfall 003 (Heated Water Discharge Canal).' Additional process detail for the bioreactors is provided as follows: Each of the four treatment trains is designed for a four-hour retention time (based on all four units operating FGDs and all four treatment trains operating). The design flow rate through all four trains is 700 gpm (175 gpm each). At the time of the visit, each train had an 8 hour retention time. At the time of the visit, Roxboro was operating all four bioreactor trains even though only two FGD scrubbers were operating. Therefore, each bioreactor train was processing wastewater at approximately 50 percent of design flowrate, doubling the retention time. Initial sampling results from the bioreactor (circa March 2008), provided to EPA are as follows:' Roxboro Sampling Results: March 4, 2008 Analvte Sample Influent to the Bio System u IL Effluent from the Blo System u IL Percent Removal Mercury 1 0.511 0.023 95.5 2 0.511 <0.019 Seleniunl 1 1840 47 97.4 2 1840 394 78 On September 27, 2011, Progress Energy, the then owner of the Roxboro plant applied for a renewal of its NPDES permit No. NC0003425. This renewal was substantially updated by Duke on October 13, 2014. Various updates and supplements to the renewal application were provided to DWR between 2011 and 2016 by Progress and Duke, including Submittal #8 on August 15, 2016, which was "intended to provide an update of modifications that will be necessary to comply with the [ELG].i' In particular, Item 13 in Submittal #8 and the referenced Attachment 4 provide details regarding Duke's plans for ELG compliance, including planned compliance with the new ELGs for bottom ash transport water and FGD wastewater. With regards to bottom ash transport water, Duke states that: To convert the wet bottom ash transport system at Roxboro to a closed loop system, Duke plans to install a remote mechanical drag chain system (RMDS). Duke would 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 Letter from Duke to the DWR, dated August 15, 2016. like to request April 30, 2021 as the applicability date for the zero discharge of bottom ash transport water, assuming a permit effective date of October 1, 2016. This means that Duke has requested 4 years and 7 months (or 55 months) for compliance with this BAT standard. In addition, since the permit renewal has not yet been issued, Duke's requested compliance date is actually beyond April 30, 2021. With regards to FGD wastewater ELG compliance, Duke states the following in its August 15, 2016 Submittal #8: ....Duke is planning on conducting several evaluations to determine whether the FGD wastewater flow can be reduced, and the existing bioreactor can be utilized in addition to evaluating viable selenium reduction technologies. These evaluations will allow Duke to select the most cost effective FGD wastewater system for Roxboro. In addition, it has recently come to Duke's attention [that] GE is claiming intellectual property rights on the biological treatment system for FGD wastewater, thus, making GE the sole provider of EPA's model technology. With these evaluations in process and uncertainty of GE's intellectual property claim, Duke would like to request December 31, 2023 as the applicability date for the BAT limits for FGD wastewater, assuming a permit effective date of October 1, 2016. The draft permit proposes to adopt Duke's requested December 31, 2023 compliance date —the latest possible date for compliance in the ELG rule. Thus, Duke is claiming to need 7 years and 3 months (or 87 months) to comply with this part of the ELG rule. These extraordinarily long compliance timelines for both bottom ash transport water and FGD wastewater are not supported by Duke's August 15, 2016 Submittal #8 or by any independent analysis conducted by DWR. In my opinion, compliance can be achieved sooner. 3. THE ELGS After many years of work,' EPA finalized the ELGs in November 2015.10 The ELGs revise and strengthen technology -based effluent limitations guidelines and standards for wastewater discharges from steam electric power plants, including coal-fired units such as Roxboro Units 1-4. The final ELGs set federal limits on the discharge toxic metals and other harmful pollutants from wastewater at steam electric power plants. The ELGs are based on technology improvements in the steam electric power industry over the last three decades and establish new requirements for wastewater streams from the following processes and byproducts associated with flue gas desulfurization, fly ash, bottom ash, flue gas mercury control, and gasification of fuels such as coal and petroleum coke. The ELGs establish a zero discharge best available technology ("BAT") standard for bottom ash wastewater to be achieved "as soon as possible beginning November 1, 2018, but no later than 9 As EPA noted in the preamble to the final ELG Rule, "....EPA initiated a steam electric ELG rulemaking following a detailed study in 2009. EPA published the proposed rule on June 7, 2013, and took public comments until September 20, 2013." 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,844. to The Final ELG Rule was published in the Federal Register on November 3, 2015. 80 Fed. Reg. 67,838. al December 31, 2023." 11 For FGD wastewater, the BAT standard is expressed in specific concentration limits for mercury, arsenic, selenium, and nitrate/nitrite also to be achieved "as soon as possible beginning November 1, 2018, but no later than December 31, 2023."12 Federal regulations provide that "[t]he phrase `as soon as possible' means November 1, 2018, unless the permitting authority establishes a later date" based on a well -documented justification, and lay out the factors that bear consideration of a permitting authority when varying a compliance deadline from the November 1, 2018 default.13 Specifically, those factors are as follows: (1) Time to expeditiously plan (including to raise capital), design, procure, and install equipment to comply with the requirements of this part. (2) Changes being made or planned at the plant in response to: (i) New source performance standards for greenhouse gases from new fossil fuel fired electric generating units, under sections 111. 30 I, 302, and 307( d)( I )(C) of the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 7411. 7601, 7602, 7607(d)(1 XC); (ii) Emission guidelines for greenhouse gases from existing fossil fuel -fired electric generating units, under sections 111. 301, 302, and 307(d) of the Clean Air Act, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 7411. 7601. 7602, 7607(d); or (iii) Regulations that address the disposal of coal combustion residuals as solid waste, under sections 1006(b), 1008(a), 2002(a), 3001, 4004, and 4005(a) of the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1970, as amended by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984, 42 U.S.C. 6906(b), 6907(a), 6912(a), 6944, and 6945(a). (3) For FGD wastewater requirements only, an initial commissioning period for the treatment system to optimize the installed equipment. (4) Other factors as appropriate. It is important to note that the very first factor in the list above requires a consideration of "expeditious" planning in all aspects of compliance with the ELG rule. Nevertheless, the proposed timelines for compliance do not seem to reflect this "expeditious" aspect at all. Arguably, the proposed timeline is based on leisurely compliance as opposed to expeditious compliance. Thus, as explained in greater detail below, it is my opinion that neither DWR nor Duke has justified why "as soon as possible" in this instance should be as long as 87 months for FGD wastewater ELG compliance or 55 months for bottom ash transport water ELG compliance. 4. TECHNOLOGY CHOICES As noted earlier, Duke has stated that it intends to meet the zero discharge BAT requirement for bottom ash transport water using a RMDS. In fact, Duke has previously indicated to the EPA that it intended to convert its wet sluicing system to a dry or closed loop system at Roxboro, well before finalization of the ELG Rule. In a memorandum dated September 30, 2015, EPA's contractor ERG lists a number of plants "with announced" bottom ash handling conversions. This list includes the 11 40 C.F.R. § 423.13(k)(1). 12 40 C.F.R. § 423.13(g)(1). 13 40 C.F.R. § 423.11(t). 5 Roxboro plant. In fact, in the same memorandum, Roxboro is also identified as having announced its intent to convert, even accounting for the Clean Power Plan (CPP) rule.14 According to the ERG memorandum, the bottom ash conversion at Roxboro would be completed by December 31, 2020 based on a survey conducted by EPA, a few months sooner than Duke's current timeline. Nonetheless, I disagree that the bottom ash conversion at Roxboro would need even that much time. For FGD waste water compliance, it is clear that the Roxboro plant is already equipped with a treatment system, namely settling ponds following by a series of bioreactors. Duke has indicated that it intends to broadly revisit its compliance strategy for FGD wastewater since the current system may not be able to meet the ELG selenium requirement in particular. Nonetheless, given EPA's identification of biologcal treatment systems as part of the best available technology upon which the FGD wastewater ELG is based, it appears unlikely (and Duke certainly has not indicated) that Duke intends to altogether scrap its existing bioreactor treatment system at Roxboro.15 In addition, Duke has installed similar systems at its other power plants (e.g., Mayo and Allen) and, therefore, already has close to a decade of operating experience with such systems in four of its plants. Given Duke's experience with such systems and its vendor relationship (as well as the potential leverage Duke has with the vendor, given the multiple installations throughout the Duke system), a compliance strategy for new FGD wastewater discharge limitations involving the supplementation or modification of Duke's current bioreactor system likely would be the simplest, least -cost, and most expeditous option. An upgrade of the current system likely will entail optimization of the volume of wastewater being handled by the system — i.e., a reduction in FGD wastewater flows. A. Vendor Experience and Discussions During the ELG Rulemaking In order "to gather information on handling fly ash and bottom ash" during the ELG rulemaking, EPA "contacted several ash handling and ash storage vendors. The vendors provided the following types of information for EPA's analyses: • Type of fly ash and bottom ash handling systems available for reducing or eliminating ash transport water; • Equipment, modifications, and demolition required to convert wet -sluicing fly ash and bottom ash handling systems to dry ash handling or closed -loop recycle systems; • Equipment that can be reused as part of the conversion from wet to dry handling or in a closed -loop recycle system; • Outage time required for the different types of ash handling systems; • Maintenance required for each type of system; • Operating data for each type of system; • Purchased equipment, other direct, and indirect capital costs for fly ash and bottom ash conversions; • Specifications for the types of ash storage available (eg., steel silos or concrete silos) for the different types of handling systems: 14 See ERG, Memorandum re Bottom Ash Complete Recycle (Sept. 30, 2015), EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-6212, Tables 1 and 2, available at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-6212. In its justification for the long timelines for compliance, Duke attempts to include uncertainties with respect to Clean Power Plan requirements as one reason for the delay. 15 Duke may need to relocate the system in order to deal with the ash present at the current location of the bioreactor, but that is not the same as scrapping the system. no Equipment and installation capital costs associated with the storage of fly ash and bottom ash; and Operation and maintenance costs for fly ash and bottom ash handling systems."16 The vendor community has been well aware of the rule requirements and participated fully in the rulemaking. There are numerous well -qualified U.S. vendors (and foreign vendors that are active in the U.S. market) that are capable of providing equipment and services for ash handling and conversion of wet bottom ash handling systems to dry systems or closed -loop recycle systems. Major vendors include United Conveyer Corporation ("UCC"),17 Clyde Bergemann,18 and Magaldi" — each of which has wet to dry conversion technologies. Other vendors such as GE, Veolia, Nalco, Aquatech, Heartland, LB Industrial Systems, and many others also have potential capabilities and solutions for specific aspects of ash handling. The ELG docket shows that EPA consulted extensively with at least UCC and Clyde Bergemann with respect to bottom ash transport water and handling during rule development.20 Both of these vendors have wet to dry ash conversion systems which have been installed at coal plants around the world, including the U.S. That the vendor community for bottom ash handling is robust is not surprising given that the U.S. coal-fired power plant fleet is over 800 units strong, with each one generating copious amounts of bottom ash that must be handled and managed. Further, as the ELGs rulemaking record shows, a significant portion of the U.S. coal fleet already meets the ELG BAT standard for bottom ash wastewater using dry handling systems. These vendors already have many technology solutions and offerings for achieving a zero discharge bottom ash wastewater standard. As EPA states in the preamble to the ELG Rule: ...technologies for control of bottom ash transport water are demonstrably available. Based on survey data, more than 80 percent of coal-fired generating units built in the last 20 years have installed dry bottom ash handling systems. In addition, EPA found that more than half of the entities that would be subject to BAT requirements for bottom ash transport water are already employing zero discharge technologies (dry handling or closed -loop wet ash handling) or planning to do so in the near future.21 16 U.S. EPA, Technical Development Document for the Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category, EPA-821-R-15-007 at 3-21 and 3-22 (Sept. 2015). 17 UCC offers various hydraulic, mechanical, pneumatic, and vibratory systems for dry bottom ash handling. See http://unitedconveyor.com/bottom—ash/ (last visited Sep. 26, 2016). 18 Clyde Bergemann offers a trademarked "DRYCON" system for dry bottom ash handling. See http://www.cbpg.com/en/products-solutions-materials-handling-bottom-ash/drycon%E2%84%A2 (last visited Sep. 26, 2016). 19 Magaldi offers a dry ash handling system called MAC. See http://www.magaldi.com/en/magaldi_solutions_for/Ash- Handling-Mac_9_11.php#tab_fototab (last visited Sep. 26, 2016). 20 See, for example, ERG/EPA Call Notes re Ash Handling Conversion in the Industry (May 24, 2012), EPA-HQ-OW- 2009-0819-0580, available at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-0580 (pertaining to EPA and its contractor's discussions with UCC); ERG Memorandum re Ash Handling Documentation from Communications with Clyde Bergemann (Sept. 30, 2015), EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-6232, available at https: / /www.regulations.gov/ document?D =EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-6232. 21 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,852. 7 Thus, Duke has a good selection of experienced and prepared vendors to select from to achieve compliance with the bottom ash transport water ELG requirements. With regards to FGD wastewater, as discussed in the record for the ELG Rule, EPA consulted widely with the vendor community as well as with EPRI (of which Duke is a member) and reviewed EPRI's many studies on wastewater pollutant reduction technologies, as well as studies by GE, the vendors used by Duke for its existing bioreactor at Roxboro and bioreactors at other plants." In addition to GE and past use of GE's ABMet technology [Advanced Biological Metals Removal Process], there are other technology suppliers and vendors who have biological treatment options that can meet the FGD wastewater ELG requirements. These include Frontier Water Systems (SeHAWK),23 and Envirogen Technologies.24 Indeed, as EPA notes in the ELG Rule preamble: ... forty-five percent of all steam electric power plants with wet scrubbers have equipment or processes in place able to meet the final BAT/PSES effluent limitations and standards. Many of these plants use FGD wastewater management approaches that eliminate the discharge of FGD wastewater. Other plants employ wastewater treatment technologies that reduce the amount of pollutants in the FGD waste stream. Both chemical precipitation and biological treatment are well - demonstrated technologies that are available to steam electric power plants for use in treating FGD wastewater. Based on industry survey responses, 39 U.S. steam electric power plants (44 percent of plants discharging FGD wastewater) use some form of chemical precipitation as part of their FGD wastewater treatment system. More than half of these plants (30 percent of plants discharging FGD wastewater) use both hydroxide and sulfide precipitation in the process to further reduce metals concentrations. In addition, chemical precipitation has been used at thousands of industrial facilities nationwide for the last several decades." Thus, Duke has a good selection of experienced and prepared vendors to select from to achieve compliance with the FGD wastewater ELG requirements. 22 U.S. EPA, Technical Development Document for the Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category, EPA-821-R-15-007 at 3-24, 7-56, and 7-57. 23 See Power Magazine, November 2016, p. 42; see also http://frontierwater.com/product-line/. 24 See http://www.envirogen.com/pages/contaminants/selenium-2/. 25 80 Fed. Reg. at 67,850. B. Utility Water Act Group (UWAG) Comments on Bottom Ash Compliance During Development of the ELGs While numerous parties provided comments to the EPA during its ELG rulemaking, it is particularly important to note certain relevant portions of comments provided by the Utility Water Act Group ("UWAG"), an industry consortium, which includes almost all U.S. utilities as its members.26 Duke is a member of UWAG. In its comments, pertaining to bottom ash conversions, UWAG offers case studies showing conversion to dry bottom ash handling in 36 months or less: Mn the case study presented in the attachment, it would take 30-36 months to convert from a wet bottom ash hopper to a dry bottom ash hopper for a large unit.....Another case study for adding a remote wet ash hopper and submerged flight conveyor would take 27-33 months.27 The project implementation timeframes referenced in this section, which are already considerably shorter than what Duke has proposed (i.e., 55 months), are relevant for situations in which no initial planning or assessment has been completed. However, since, as shown next, there are clear indications that Duke has undertaken significant, multi -year efforts to begin planning for a conversion to dry bottom ash handling, the implementation schedule at Roxboro should be shorter. In addition, other utilities, such as the Southern Company, in their own comments on the proposed ELG Rule also indicated their ability to convert wet bottom ash handling systems to dry systems in the same time frames as indicated in the EPRI comments.28 C. Duke's Actual Experience Installing FGD Treatment at Roxboro As noted above, Duke has installed treatment technologies, including physical settling followed by bioreactors, at several of its plants for treating FGD wastewater. An examination of the timelines for installation of those treatment systems is useful in judging the reasonableness of the proposed 87- month compliance schedule. The FGD systems (scrubbers) at Roxboro went into operation between 2007 and 2008. The scrubbers began operating as follows: in April 2007 for Unit 2; in December 2007 for Unit 4; in March 2008 for Unit 3; and in December 2008 for Unit 1.21 Clearly, a wastewater treatment system for a scrubber 26 As UWAG's comment's note, "UWAG is a voluntary, ad hoc, non-profit, unincorporated group of 198 individual energy companies and three national trade associations of energy companies: the Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the American Public Power Association. The individual energy companies operate power plants and other facilities that generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers." Utility Water Act Group Comments on EPA's Proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category, at 1 n.1. 21 Id. at 84. 28 Southern Company Comments on EPA's Proposed Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category, Appendix B. 29 U.S. EPA, Site Visit Notes: Progress Energy Carolinas' Roxboro Steam Electric Plant (March 11, 2008), EPA-HQ-OW- 2009-0819-0686, available athttps://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-0686; www.epa.gov/ampd. X would only begin operation after the scrubber itself started to operate. While the treatment system can be designed and installed in conjunction with the FGD system, its actual operations can only follow the FGD system. Regarding the timeline for the initial installation of Roxboro's FGD wastewater treatment system, EPA noted: Roxboro stated that they have been transferring water to the settling pond since the Unit 2 FGD system began operation in April 2007; however, Roxboro only began transferring wastewater to the bioreactor on February 27 [2008] (two weeks prior to the site visit [which occurred in Match 2008]). According to plant staff, the bioreactor is expected to reach steady state operation approximately 2-4 weeks after startup.3o Consistent with the timeline above, GE indicates in all of its literature that the Roxboro wastewater bioreactor was operational in 2008.31 From this timeline, it is possible to conclude that: (a) while the design of the bioreactor system was likely completed in parallel with the design of the FGD systems, and some portion of its construction was also done in parallel with the installation and commissioning of the FGD systems, the actual installation and operation of the bioreactors occurred within less than 12 months (i.e., after April 2007 and through February 27, 2008) of the FGD beginning operation. As noted in a November 2006 Power Engineering article, "[F]our ABMet projects to treat FGD wastewater are currently in design or under construction in the United States with the first scheduled to start in 2007.i32 Given the list of GE ABMet projects, these four can only be the Duke plants — Roxboro, Belews Creek, Mayo, and Allen. Additionally, since the GE ABMet technology was brand new at that time, Duke and Progress (the then owners of Roxboro and Mayo) conducted a pilot test of the technology at Duke's Marshall station between May -December 2007.33 In summary, Duke (and Progress), working with GE, were able to evaluate, pilot test, design, construct, install, and make operational four such bioreactor systems in the time period 2006-2009 (at most 48 months), at four power plants. Thus, the absolute longest compliance timeline Duke could realistically point to would be 48 months. Forty-eight months from the finalization of the ELGs Rule would be November 2019. That date is, however, an outer -bound estimate. Given the fact that Duke already has bioreactors in operation at Roxboro and is on record as having begun planning for ELG compliance (likely beginning when the proposed ELG Rule was promulgated in 2013), it would be more than reasonable to conclude that completion of design, construction, and optimization of the FGD wastewater treatment system upgrades needed at the Roxboro Plant could take considerably less time. 30 Ibid. at 4-5. 31 See GE, ABMet Experience List Quly 2015), EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-5572, available at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-5572; ERG Memorandum re Status of Biological Treatment Systems to Remove Selenium (April 19, 2013), EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-2127, available at https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-2127. In fact, GE indicates that it started up the Roxboro and the Belews Creek systems in 2008 and the May and Allen systems in 2009— i.e., all four of the Duke systems within two years. 32 See Using Biology to Treat Selenium, PowerMag (Nov. 1, 2011), http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume- 110/issue-11 /features/using-biology-to-treat-selenium.html. 33 "Bugs" Used to Treat FGD Wastewater, Power Engineering (Sept. 2009). 10 5. DUKE ENERGY'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND PLANNING TO COMPLY WITH THE ELGS Public statements from Duke Energy corroborate that the company has already evaluated options and developed likely costs for compliance with the ELGs at Roxboro and other facilities, and that implementation can and should occur more quickly than in the schedules proposed by Duke and DWR. A. Duke Energy's 2013 Annual Report and SEC Form 10-K Filing In a brief discussion in its 2013 Annual Report, Duke Energy provided the following general statement, (although no cost estimates) regarding compliance with the then -proposed revised ELGs for steam electric power plants: Steam Electric Effluent Limitation Guidelines On June 7, 2013, the EPA proposed Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELGs). The EPA is under a court order to finalize the rule by May 22, 2014. The EPA has proposed eight options for the rule, which vary in stringency and cost. The proposed regulation applies to seven waste streams, including wastewater from air pollution control equipment and ash transport water. Most, if not all of the steam electric generating facilities the Duke Energy Registrants own are likely affected sources. Compliance is proposed as soon as possible after July 1, 2017, but may extend until July 1, 2022. The Duke Energy Registrants are unable to predict the outcome of the rulemaking, but the impact could be significant.34 B. Duke Energy's 2014 Annual Report and SEC Form 10-K Filing Again in 2014, Duke Energy considered compliance with the proposed ELGs, this time offering cost estimates: Steam Electric Effluent Limitation Guidelines On June 7, 2013, the EPA proposed Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines. The EPA is under a revised court order to finalize the rule by September 30, 2015. The EPA has proposed eight options for the rule, which vary in stringency and cost. The proposed regulation applies to seven waste streams, including wastewater from air pollution control equipment and ash transport water. Most, if not all, of the steam electric generating facilities the Duke Energy Registrants own are likely affected sources. Requirements to comply with the Final rule may begin as early as late 2018 for some facilities. Estimated Cost and Impacts of Rulemakings 34 Duke Energy, 2013 Annual Report, available at http://www.annualreports.com/Company/duke-energy-corporation. 11 The following table provides estimated costs, excluding AFUDC, of new control equipment that may need to be installed on existing power plants, including conversion of plants to dry disposal of bottom ash and fly ash, to comply with the above regulations over the five years ended December 31, 2019 G-1 n111 E --wnd5 %3r -Dap BUD Barg S 1AM Clue Emrg :L3Id1135 61 i Rrvm mq K5 Uke EmrD Npss 415 Duke EhEp Fulda `a Me MErL% area 15 DUKE N IL% hC 12IL3 U I 35 Even though the ELGs had not yet been finalized, Duke recognized that the rule would likely be final by September 2015 and had already developed cost estimates for compliance. Duke necessarily would have had to complete considerable planning and engineering work in the 2013-2014 time period to be able to share such cost estimates. The statement above also shows that Duke anticipated that compliance would be required "as early as late 2018" which is consistent with EPA's final compliance schedule beginning in November 2018. C. Duke Energy's 2015 Annual Report and SEC Form 10-K Filing Finally, in 2015, Duke Energy again projected compliance dates and costs for the ELGs: Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines On January 4, 2016, the final Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) rule became effective. The rule establishes new requirements for wastewater streams associated with steam electric power generation and includes more stringent controls for any new coal plants that may be built in the future. Affected facilities must comply between 2018 and 2023, depending on timing of new Clean Water Act permits. Most, if not all, of the steam electric generating facilities the Duke Energy Registrants own are likely affected sources. The Duke EnerQv Registrants are well -positioned to meet the requirements of the rule due to current efforts to convert to dry ash ss Duke Energy, 2014 Annual Report at 59, available at http://www.annualreports.com/Company/duke-energy-corporation. 12 handling. Estimated Cost and Impacts of Kulemakings Duke Energy will incur capital expenditures to comply with the environmental regulations and rules discussed above. The following five-year table provides estimated costs, excluding AFUDC, of new control equipment that may need to be installed on existing power plants primarily to comply with the Coal Ash Act requirements for conversion to dry disposal of bottom ash and fly ash, MATS, Clean Water Act 316(b) and ELGs, through December 31, 2020. (in mi [lien s} Me -Year Estimated Go sts Bake Energy 5 1,350 Duke Energy Carol inns fi25 Progress Energy 350 Duke Energy Pro em 300 Duke Energy Florida 50 Duke Energy Ohio 100 Me Energy Indiana 275 »36 The cost estimate of $300 million presented to shareholders and the SEC for Duke Energy Progress relates directly to the Roxboro units, since, of Duke Energy Progress's not -yet -retired coal units, only the Roxboro units will need to retrofit to comply with the ELGs. The Asheville units are retiring rather than complying (that retirement announcement in 2015 may explain the lowering of the $475 million compliance cost estimate included in the 2014 Annual Report) and the Mayo units already utilize dry ash handling and zero liquid discharge FGD wastewater treatment systems. Notably, Duke Energy states that "[t]he Duke Energy Registrants are well -positioned to meet the requirements of the rule due to current efforts to convert to dry ash handling.i37 This statement is not surprising and is consistent with Duke's ability to comply with the ELGs at Roxboro much more quickly than proposed in the draft permit. 6. CRITIQUE OF DUKE'S PROPOSED COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE In light of the information above, I have reviewed the proposed timelines for ELG compliance at the Roxboro Plant. As noted above, Duke attempts to make the case that the compliance timeline should be 55 months for bottom ash transport water and 87 months for FGD waste water. These timelines 36 Duke Energy, 2015 Annual Report at 63 available at http://www.annualreports.com/Company/duke-energy-corporation (emphasis added). 37 Ibid. 13 are not justified by Duke's submissions to DWR and directly contradict EPA's expectations of expeditious compliance with the ELG Rule. In my opinion, compliance with the bottom ash transport water ELG zero discharge requirements should take no more than 27-36 months, at the most, consistent with industry comments to the EPA during ELG rulemaking. Given that the record is clear that Duke had committed to conversion to dry or closed -loop ash handling to EPA prior to September 2015 (which commitment would have to have been based on the assessment of such conversion prior to September 2015), starting the timeline for necessary retrofits at September 2015 would be conservative. This is also consistent with EPA's expectation of compliance by November 2018. With regards to FGD wastewater, it is clear from the discussion above, that Duke was able to work with GE and implement new bioreactor technology at multiple units in a period of 48 months or less. Now, Duke has almost 10 years of operational experience with these systems at multiple plants. In addition, vendors other than GE are able to provide biological treatment systems. It is therefore not unreasonable to assume that today, with its experience and understanding of FGD operations under all conditions (after all, each of the four FGDs have operated for almost 10 years at Roxboro), Duke should be able to meet the ELG requirements in less than 48 months — which is the maximum time it took Duke to install these brand new technologies at multiple plants, almost 10 years ago. Whether Duke chooses to achieve compliance by optimizing its FGD wastewater flow and/or supplementing or modifying its existing bioreactor system (working with GE or another vendors), or even scrapping its current system and installing a new system, it should have no trouble doing so by November 2019. Below are my specific criticisms of the elements of Duke's proposed timelines. I provide Duke's justification (in italics) followed by my critique. All of the text in italics below is from Attachment 4 to Duke's August 15, 2016 Submittal #8 to DWR. A. Bottom Ash Transport Water It is important to note Duke will be installing RMDS at four stations in N. Carolina; therefore, additional time is needed compared to a single installation to account for managing multiple pr jects simultaneously. At the outset, I note that Duke's ability to make upgrades at multiple facilities is a simple matter of resources. Duke can hire more technical or other staff as needed in order to manage multiple projects. This is routine in industry. Duke has a track record of managing even more complex projects, such as multiple FGD units at its coal plants. Moreover, Duke's explanation of the proposed schedule does not specify how much additional time it claims to need at Roxboro given its obligations at its other plants. Design & Engineering Duke has initiated the design phase, but, due to the simultaneous implementation ofprograms, such as the CCR Rule and NC-C.AMA. across applicable sites in North Carolina, engineering and technology resources are limited. Duke, therefore, estimates the design and engineering process will take an additional 8 months from the permit effect date. Again, Duke can address resources by additional hiring, either to supplement its own in-house staff or by hiring qualified engineering contractors. This is routine practice when large projects have to be 14 managed simultaneously. Thus the need for 8 additional months to complete the design is not supported, especially when the work is reasonably expected to have commenced at least since the final ELG Rule went into effect. At best, this should take no more than a couple of months or less. rater Balance The first step in the design process of the RMDS is to develop a detailed water balance of the current BATW ... This will require the streams to be characters.Zed for both volumetric flow and constituent make-up in order to si.Ze and design an appropriate treatment system.... Wlith most coal-fired units operating in an infrequent mode, the opportunities to collect samples are limited and the operation schedule could affect the schedule of this task. Upon completion of the water balance, detailed engineering of the RMDS system and piping reroutes of non-BATWI can commence. Given Duke's operation of the Roxboro units for almost a decade in their current configuration (i.e., with the FGD systems and wastewater treatment in operation), Duke should have a very good water balance already. Its ability to manage the current BATW would otherwise not be possible. Thus, this task is superfluous. At best, simple confirmation of the existing water balance can be done and should not take much time at all. As Duke notes earlier, it has "initiated the design phase," and this means that it must already have conducted an assessment or confirmation of the water balance. Siting The RMDS will need to be sited appropriately to avoid any historical or current coal combustion product disposal (CCP) sites and avoid construction areas that will be used to complete closure of the ash basins at Roxboro. In addition, Duke will attempt to site the ystem to avoid waters of the U.S. (WIOTUS). However, based on the final siting of the stem, WIOTUS may not be avoided, and permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may be required. Duke (and Progress prior to that) has been operating the Roxboro plant since 1966 (when Unit 1 began operation) and in its current configuration since 1980 (when all four units were in operation). As I have noted earlier, Duke undertook major projects such as the installation of the four FGD systems in the 2007-2008 time frame. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that Duke should have a very good idea of the locations of coal combustion product disposal and the locations of waters of the US. Thus, the siting issue is a matter of avoiding these areas. Duke has not made the case, showing maps or data that the RDMS has to be located in areas where there are WOTUS or that it cannot be located in areas without interfering with the closure of historic or current ash basins. As such, raising the issue of siting of the RDMS and adding time for its determination is purely speculative. It is my opinion that unless Duke shows otherwise, it should be assumed that the RDMS can be sited avoiding WOTUS and interferences with ash closure activities. Permitting If WOTUS cannot be avoided, then permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be needed. At this time, it is unknown whether a USACE permit will be required or the type of permit that may be required (nationwide permit (NPWI) or individual permit). Duke, therefore, has included 12 months in the schedule to prepare and obtain any necessary USACE permits. Once the RMDS is commissioned, the permitted discharge flows will change drastically.... With significant changes to the characteristics of the permitted discharge, Duke anticpates a NPDESpermit modification will be required to revise the permit to account for the changes inflow and constituent make-up. 15 Even though the permitting task will be initiated during the design and engineering phase, it is expect (sic) to continue through the procurement phase and up to the construction phase. In addition, the extent and complexity of the permits required are unknown at this time. The required permits will be evaluated during the engineering and design phase. Since the time needed to prepare the permit applications and the time needed to receive the permits is uncertain, Duke allocated 6 months to account for potential permitting delays. Again, and as discussed above, it is simply speculative to anticipate that permitting from the USACE will be required at all. Thus, the 12 months included in the schedule for this activity is also speculative and unsupported. Similarly, even though an NPDES permit modification may be needed, the speculative additional 6 months of permitting delays is also unsupported. As Duke notes, permitting activities can be completed in parallel with the design and engineering phases. Raising "extent and complexity of the permits" with no details and without any support is simply an excuse to pad the schedule. Procurement After the design is complete, Duke will initiate the process to procure the necessary outside resources to construct and install the new wastewater treatment ystems. This process will involve the following steps: - Evaluate potential vendors forproposal solicitation; - Develop and submit request forproposal (RFP) to selected vendors; - Conduct a review and vendor selection based on the received bids; - Develop required contract documents; - Acquire materials (potentially from overseas, which involves: o Shipment, and o Equ pment Fabrication - Fabrication and inspection of equipment. RMDS have a fabrication queue that is dependent on total industry -wide demand. Duke, therefore, has allocated 12 months to acquire the necessary materials. Duke does not demonstrate that it would need to acquire materials from overseas; that element of the schedule is purely speculative. Nor does this description explain how much additional time Duke has assumed would be needed for overseas acquisitions. Likewise, Duke's description does not identify how much additional time it assumes would be needed with respect to fabrication queues. Given Duke's reference to fabrication queues, it is fair to assume that Duke has begun discussions with qualified vendors of the RDMS technology. This is consistent with Duke's prior representations to EPA that it should be well along on its bottom ash conversion project by now and suggests that less time is actually needed to procure equipment than 12 months. Construction Once all the necessary materials are procured, Duke estimates construction of the RMDS will take approximately 13 months. In addition, the tie-in of the RMDS to each individual generating unit will need to occur during outages, which are anticipated to occur between March to May and October to November depending on generation demand. Since the bulk of the RDMS will be supplied by vendors, with tie-ins to be done on site, it is not clear why 13 months of additional time is allocated for construction. Piping and any additional infrastructure for tie-ins can be constructed in parallel while vendor equipment is on order. Thus, the procurement 16 and on -site construction tasks can overlap and do not have to be done sequentially as assumed by Duke. Even accounting for unit tie-ins which will have to be coordinated with scheduled unit outages (of which there are typically two every year — generally in the spring and fall), the need for 13 additional months for construction is not supported in my opinion. Optimi.Zation and Operational Experience As stated above, Duke is planning to have the equipment installed by December 31, 2019 at the latest to meet the obligations under CAMA, in addition, to any CCR requirements. Again, these rules regulate the bottom ash material, not the transport water. Given the system will continue to ut&.Ze water to transport bottom ash, time will be needed to gain operational experience and optimize the ystem to meet the Zero discharge limit. Duke estimates a 16 month window will be required to gain the necessary operational experience and fine-tune the gstem. The 16 month window is estimated based on the potential that the station may only be operating at full load during the winter and summer months and load and account for commissioning / optimising occurring at molt ple facilities simultaneously. In addition, with NCDEQ approving the implementation date of January 31, 2021 for Marshall Steam Station, Duke would like to stagger the commissioning / optimi.Zation activities for Roxboro by 3 months. In my opinion, providing 16 months to "gain operational experience and optimize the system" is excessive. Duke has implemented more complex projects (such as the FGDs in 2007-2008 and the wastewater treatment system involving bioreactors in the 2008 time frame) which did not require anywhere close to 16 months to gain operational experience. Thus, its justification for 16 months to understand and optimize a mechanical system is not supported. In fact, the term "optimization" in this context (i.e., when the goal is zero discharge) is itself unclear. To assist its operators in gaining operational experience, Duke can send its operators to train with the RDMS vendor that will be/likely has been selected; and/or make arrangements for its operators to spend time at other plants that have similar systems. For example, Duke's Mayo plant has long operated a dry ash handling system. Of course, this training can happen in conjunction with equipment procurement and any onsite tie-in construction. Thus, without significant additional support, I disagree with the need for a sequential 16- month task for gaining operational experience. B. FGD Wastewater At a minimum, Duke anticipates having to install a new tank -based physical/chemical treatment ystem followed by a selenium reduction technology. The selenium reduction technology has notyet been selected and Duke will be evaluating suitable technologies based on cost and feasibility. A biological treatment ystem is currently installed at Roxboro, but the ELG limits cannot be achieved with the current ystem. Duke will evaluate the current biological treatment ystem to determine whether the ystem can be used as pars of an upgraded treatment ystem or will need to be discarded and completely replaced. EPA proposed the ELG Rule on July 7, 2013 — more than three years ago. In the proposal, EPA listed two limits for selenium, widely understood to be the more challenging aspect of meeting the FGD wastewater limits: a daily limit of 16 ug/L and a 30-day limit of 10 ug/L.38 These limits were made less stringent in the final rule promulgated on November 3, 2015.39 The daily limit was increased from 16 38 78 Fed. Reg. 34,534 ( July 7, 2013). 39 80 Fed. Reg. 67,895 (Nov. 3, 2015). 17 ug/L to 23 ug/L and the monthly limit was increased from 10 ug/L to 12 ug/L. Thus, Duke has had over three years as of this writing to anticipate that it would have to meet more stringent limits for selenium than what it is able to meet with its current GE ABMet system. In that time period, all of the vendors of bioreactor technologies, including GE have stated that their systems are capable of meeting the ELG limits. Thus, while I agree that the current system at Roxboro will need modification, it is my opinion that at least since 2013, Duke has had notice that it may have to meet a more stringent selenium limit. It is therefore not a reasonable assumption that Duke would have done nothing in these intervening three years to address all of its options on how it might meet: first, the more stringent proposed limits; and later, the less stringent final rule limits for selenium. Thus, it is not acceptable for Duke to state that it now "will evaluate the current biological treatment system...." It is more reasonable to assume that these evaluations have been or should have been long completed by now. In addition, the FGD flow rate for Foxboro is estimated at approximately 1,094 gallons per minute (gbm). In the proposed ELG rule, EPA assumed Foxboro could reduce its FGD flow to 375Om by recirculating some of the FGD water back to the FGD gstem. This would allow for the design of a significantly smaller system, resulting in a significant reduction in cost. Duke is evaluating options to reduce the FGD flow, which would affect the technology selection, design and cost of the system. I agree that reducing the FGD flow rate would allow Duke to use a smaller system for wastewater treatment. By increasing the residence time, it may even be able to use its current system, with relatively minor changes. It is not clear, however, how EPA arrived at the lower 375 gpm likely flow without Duke being aware of this possibility. EPA's information on the process at Roxboro is based on data that Duke provided. Any assessment of process optimization that EPA or its contractors did, could easily have been done by Duke itself — arguably with more precision and detail. It is only reasonable to assume that Duke knows its own system better than EPA does. Thus, Duke's assertion that it is "evaluating options" to reduce the FGD flow rate, when others have already made such assessment (which Duke does not refute or challenge) is specious. To further complicate matters, EPA's model technology for the treatment of FGD wastewater is physical/ chemical followed by biological treatment. Recently, the biological treatment system vendor for the ABMet gstem, GE, has claimed intellectualproperty rights on all biological treatment technologies for FGD wastewater. This could have significant impacts on the cost and procurement schedule of the treatment gstem. With an EPA estimate of 88 stations within the industry expected to upgrade the FGD wastewater treatment gstem to comply with the ELG limits; the implementation date must take into account limited resources of EPA's chosen model technology. Duke's reference to "EPA's model technology" is irrelevant. EPA suggested its model technology for all coal plants in the U.S. with a wide range of wastewater properties. The specific types of treatment that will be needed depend on site specific properties of wastewater. Duke, having operated its FGDs under all types of plant conditions, for almost 10 years now, should, presumably, have considerable data on what its wastewater properties are and how they vary by now. Thus, it is not at all reasonable for Duke assert as a reason for its compliance delay the fact that 88 stations will be upgrading their systems to "EPA's chosen model technology." Each plant operator will do what it needs to do to meet the ELG limits for all of the regulated pollutants, including selenium and nitrate/nitrite. As I have noted earlier, there are several vendors that have systems capable of meeting the FGD wastewater ELGs. Thus, Duke's suggestion that it is locked into working with GE rings hollow. Thus, to the extent Duke is using these arguments to justify its non -expeditious schedule, they are unsupported and plainly, specious. W. Design dam' Engineering As with the RMDS, engineering and technology resources are limited due to regulatory requirements for concurrent implementation of programs, such as the CCR Rule and NC -LAMA across applicable sites in North Carolina. Duke is, therefore, estimating 30 months to complete the design and engineering phase of the pr ject. FGD Flow Reduction Evaluation Duke is evaluating options, such as recirculating some of the FGD water back to the FGD gstem, to reduce the FGD wastewater flow rate to design and install a cost effective gstem. As stated above, EPA assumed Roxboro could reduce the FGD wastewater flow to 375 gym. Whether recirculating some of the FGD water back to the FGD gstem is a viable option is dependent on the chlorides in the FGD water and chloride impacts on the materials of construction of the FGD scrubber. Duke will also determine if other flow reduction measures are available for Roxboro. This is a critical step in the design and technology evaluation to ensure a cost ffctive treatment gstem. Existing Bioreactor Evaluation A biological treatment gstem is installed at Roxboro. However, the current gstem cannot meet the final ELG limits for FGD wastewater. Currently, it is unknown whether the existing biological treatment gstem can be used as part of an upgraded treatment gstem or if the biological treatment system will need to be discarded and completely replaced. Duke, therefore, is planning on conducting an evaluation to determine the feasibility and cost of using the existing biological reactor or replacing the entire gstem. Siting As with the RMDS, the FGD WWT system will need to be sited to avoid any former or current CCR sites and avoid construction areas that will be used to complete closure of the ash basins at Roxboro. Additionally, Duke will need to site the system to avoid nuisance odor outside the properly boundary. Duke will also attempt to site the gstem to avoid WOTUS. However, based on the final siting of the system WOTUS may not be avoided, and permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may be required. Technology Selection Duke has significant experience in the design, construction and operation of biological treatment ystems for selenium reduction. Based on Duke's experience, biological treatment alone may not be a fool proof technology based on the characteristics of the coal. Duke, therefore, is obligated to review and evaluate whether other suitable technologies are available to treat FGD wastewater for selenium reduction at Roxboro. This is particularly important with GE claiming intellectual properly rights on the biological treatment ystem for FGD wastewater, thus being the sole provider of this technology. Duke will be working closely with utility organ.Zations, such as the EPRI, to ident�ft suitable technologies for the removal of selenium from FGD wastewater and possibly additional polishing steps that may be required to meet the limits. Upon completion of the siting and technology selection, the engineering design of the gstem will be completed. Permitting If WOTUS cannot be avoided, then permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be needed. At this time, it is unknown whether a USACE permit will be required or the type of permit that may be required (nationwide permit (NPWI) or individual permit. Duke, therefore, has LLB included 12 months in the schedule to prepare and obtain any necessary USACE permits. The installation of the FGD WIW"l may change the characteristics of the final discharge, therefore, a NPDES permit modification may be required to revise the permit to account for the changes inflow and constituent make-up. Even through the permitting task will be initiated during the design and engineering phase, it is expect to continue through the procurement phase and up to the construction phase. In addition, the extent and complexity of the permits required are unknown at this time. The requiredpermits will be evaluated during the engineering and design phase. Since time needed to prepare the permit applications and the time needed to receive the permits is uncertain, Duke allocated 6 months to account for potential permitting delays. Duke has proposed a 30 month timeline for this first, design phase, including the five sub -activities — by sequentially allocating 6, 6, 8, 4, and 6 months, respectively to: flow evaluation, evaluation of the biological system, technology evaluation, siting, and permitting. This timeline is wholly unsupported. First, it is not clear why, even if they were necessary in the first place, several of these tasks cannot be done in parallel as opposed to sequentially. For example, the flow evaluation (which deals with how to minimize flow of wastewater generation in the FGDs) can be done in parallel with the evaluation of the biological system and/or the technology evaluation. These three activities can be done in parallel or with significant overlap. Second, as discussed above: (i) with the passage of over three years since the ELG rule was proposed with more stringent limits for selenium; (ii) with EPA having already conducted flow optimization and evaluation; (iii) Duke's almost 10 years of experience running its biological system; (iv) Duke's almost 10 years of experience with GE as its vendor for its FGD wastewater treatment systems not just at Roxboro but at Mayo, Allen, and Belews Creek as well — it would seem reasonable that no additional time should be needed or justified for flow evaluation, evaluation of the biological system, and technology selection. Third, as noted in the discussion earlier dealing with the compliance for bottom ash transport water ELGs, siting and permitting are simply additional delay factors being proposed by Duke, with no support or justification. To summarize, it is a reasonable expectation that Duke should know its plant well enough to know if it will have any siting problems, dealing with WOTUS or CCR issues. It certainly has not made the case that any modifications (or even relocation) of its current system or a new system will need to be sited where WOTUS will be affected or that the CCR rule -related actions will interfere. Thus, raising siting and permitting issues, which may not be needed, are simply speculative. In summary, even if it were reasonable to assume that these actions would require 30 months, which is simply unsupported because many of these tasks can be done in parallel, Duke has had well over 30 months since the proposed rule to complete each of these evaluations. Thus, no additional time for these tasks is justified. Procurement After the design is complete, Duke will initiate the process to procure the necessary outside resources to construct and install the new wastewater treatment ystems. This process will involve the following steps.- - Evaluate potential vendors forproposal solicitation; C - Develop and submit a requestforproposal (BFP) to selected vendors; - Conduct a review and vendor selection based on the received bids; - Develop required contract documents; - Acquire materials (potentially from overseas), which involves: o Shipment, and o Equ pment Fabrication - Fabrication and inspection of equipment. The selenium reduction technology will have a fabrication queue that is dependent on total industry -amide demand. With GE claiming intellectual propero rights on biological treatment additional time will need to be factored into the implementation date. Duke, therefore, has allocated 24 months to acquire the necessary materials. Additionally, raw materials needed may have an extended lead-time from time of order to delivery, such as the granulated activated carbon used in the biological ystem, which has a lead time of 12 months. As stated above, GE is claiming intellectual properly rights on the biological treatment system. If this claim is upheld, GE will be the only supplier of the biological treatment system. Given the potential number of facilities installing treatment ystem for FGD wastewater in the industry, additional 8 months is allocated to account for an extended procurement period. Duke's proposed timeline for procurement is unsupported by any evidence. Instead, Duke has simply regurgitated the same generic steps for its discussions on procurement (see previous discussion for the bottom ash conversion project and Duke's language in that instance). In addition, Duke points vaguely to a potential issue with its current technology vendor GE, but offers no evidence regarding the speculative claim that GE would be the only vendor able to supply biological treatment equipment or evidence that even if GE were the only vendor that it would be unable to meet market demands in a timely fashion. Without some clarifying detail, it is my opinion that a 20 month schedule for procurement is unsupported. Construction/Tie In Once all the necessary materials are procured, Duke estimates construction of the FGD WWT will take approximately 16 months to complete. In addition, the tie-in of the FGD A' ' F to each individual FGD scrubber will need to occur during outages, which are anticipated to occur between March to May and October to November depending on generation demand. Furthermore, an additional 4 months were included in the schedule to account for the potential of GE being the sole provider of the biological treatment ystem. Again, as with the construction/tie in for the bottom ash transport water RMDS system, piping and any additional infrastructure for tie-ins can be constructed in parallel while vendor equipment is on order. Thus, the procurement and on -site construction tasks can overlap and do not have to be done sequentially as assumed by Duke. Thus, the need for 16 additional months for construction is not supported in my opinion. In my opinion, the tie-in of a new or upgraded FGD wastewater treatment system should take no more time than was needed when the existing system was installed in 2008, i.e., considerably less than 16 months. The scheduling of an additional four months "to account for the potential of GE being the sole provider of the biological treatment system" is unsupported. If anything, given GE's familiarity with the current system and the simplifications of dealing with just one vendor, it should take less time and not more time if there is a single provider. 21 Commissioning & Start-up Duke estimates that commissioning and start-up of the FGD WVIT will take 12 months to complete, 6 months for each task. Duke, however, is allocating a 15 month window to complete the commissioning and start-up under all expected operating conditions from full load to partial load to periods of no load. This will allow the identification of necessary actions that need to be completed in order to maintain the ystem under different operating scenarios. The 12 or 15 months Duke has allocated for commissioning and startup is unjustified. As discussed above, the biological treatment system (which is the most complicated element of the overall treatment system — whether it is preceded by the settling pond as it is currently at Roxboro, or if it is preceded by some sort of chemical/precipitation system, if needed) has been functional at Roxboro for almost a decade now. The record shows that this system was commissioned and started up at Roxboro in a matter of a few months back in 2007/2008. With the additional experience gained by Duke's operational staff, it should not take Duke longer to commission and startup a system that they are more familiar with this time around. I find no support for Duke's proposed time allocation for these tasks. 7. COMPARISON OF DUKE'S COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE WITH THAT OF OTHER LARGE PROJECTS Duke's proposed compliance schedules, as noted above, are not supported and, indeed, are at odds with shorter timeframes identified by EPA and other groups as well as those experienced by Duke at its own plants. Additionally, in comparison to other major projects at coal-fired units, these 55-month and 87-month schedules proposed for ELG compliance are simply unreasonable and too long. Here, comparisons are made using the expected timelines for implementing complex air pollution control projects at coal-fired boilers. These include the installation of dry and wet FGD systems and the installation of Selective Catalytic Reduction ("SCR") controls for NOx control. These projects, for units of similar size to the Roxboro units, often cost hundreds of million dollars. Yet, while often complex and challenging to implement, timelines for such projects are in the range of 3 to 5 years — starting from conceptual engineering through completion during scheduled outages. Three example timelines are shown below —for dry FGD, wet FGD, and SCR projects, respectively — as developed by a contractor for MISO, the independent system operator for the U.S.40 These timelines are generally conservative—i.e., the timelines shown are generally high, reflecting the most complex installations, with typical projects capable of implementation in less time. Nonetheless, as the charts below illustrate, the expected durations for implementing dry FGD or SCR are around 46 months and around 56 months for wet FGD. Given the far greater complexity of these projects, Duke's assertion that the relatively much simpler conversion of Roxboro's wet sluicing bottom ash system to a dry or a closed loop system will take 55 months —on par or longer than the far more complex FGD installations at coal units —is untenable. Even more egregious is Duke's ` justification" of 87 months for achieving compliance with the FGD wastewater ELG requirements —given its existing bioreactor and its significant experience in operating such systems. 40 The Brattle Group, Supply Chain and Outage Analysis of MISO Coal Retrofits forMATS, Appendix A (May 2012), available at http: / /www.brattle. com/ news-and-knowledge/news /brattle-economists-identify-challenges-for-miso-s-coal-fleet-to- comply-with-epa-s-mats-rule. 22 Typical Timelines for Dry FGD, Wet FGD, DSI and ACI Retrofit Projects Dry FGD Project Phase 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 Pernittmg Design Engineering System Interface 1 Site Engineering Procurement construction Testing Outage wet FGD Project Phase 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 PemAting Design Engineering Systeminterface 1 Site Engineering Procurement _ Construction Testing _ Outage SCR PrajectPhase 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 Penn itting Design Engineering Systeminterface 1 Site Engineering Procurement Construction Testing outage 8. CONCLUSIONS Duke does not need 55 months and 87 months to achieve compliance with the ELG requirements for bottom ash transport water and FGD wastewater, respectively. Duke's "justifications" for such timelines are vague and unsupported. They also contradict Duke's own experience (for FGD wastewater treatment) and that of others (for bottom ash zero discharge), and are at odds with EPA's expectation of expeditous compliance. Any reading of Duke's ` justifcations" for its timelines will show that Duke, far from being expeditious, in fact made every effort to stretch out its timelines, using every excuse possible. Duke's schedule includes sequential tasks that could be done in parallel, does not recognize work already done, and does not provide any detail whatsoever for the proposed months and years for specific tasks. In fact, the necessary upgrades could be achieved on much shorter timelines. As demonstrated herein, based on publicly available information, Duke could achieve compliance with the bottom ash transport water ELGs by September 2018, at the latest, and with the FGD wastewater ELGs by November 2019 (if not even earlier). In my opinion, even these suggested shortened timelinesare generous and Duke should have no problem achieving compliance even sooner if it devotes adequate resources to achieve expeditious compliance, as expected in the final ELG Rule. 23 9. AUTHOR'S EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS Dr. Ranajit Sahu has over twenty-five years of experience in the fields of environmental, mechanical, and chemical engineering including: program and project management services; design and specification of pollution control equipment for a wide range of emissions sources; soils and groundwater remediation including landfills as remedy; combustion engineering evaluations; energy studies; multimedia environmental regulatory compliance (involving statutes and regulations such as the Federal CAA and its Amendments, Clean Water Act, TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, SARA, OSHA, NEPA as well as various related state statutes); transportation air quality impact analysis; multimedia compliance audits; multimedia permitting (including air quality NSR/PSD permitting, Title V permitting, NPDES permitting for industrial and storm water discharges, RCRA permitting, etc.), multimedia/multi- pathway human health risk assessments for toxics; air dispersion modeling; and regulatory strategy development and support including negotiation of consent agreements and orders. Over the last twenty-three years, Dr. Sahu has consulted on several municipal landfill related projects addressing landfill gas generation, landfill gas collection, and the treatment/disposal/control of such gases in combustion equipment such as engines, turbines, and flares. In particular, Dr. Sahu has executed numerous projects relating to flare emissions from sources such as landfills as well as refineries and chemical plants. He has served as a peer -reviewer for EPA in relation to flare combustion efficiency, flare destruction efficiency, and flaring emissions. A significant portion of Dr. Sahu's educational background and consulting experience deals with addressing environmental impacts due to coal-fired power plants including all aspects of air emissions from such plants but also environmental impacts from water/waste water, cooling water, and solid/hazardous wastes at such plants and impacts due to coal mining, transportation, and stockpiling. Dr. Sahu holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., in Mechanical Engineering, the first from the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur, India) and the latter two from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. His research specialization was in the combustion of coal and, among other things, understanding air pollution aspects of coal combustion in power plants as well as the formation of ash during combustion. The opinions expressed in the report are Dr. Sahu's and are based on the data and facts available at the time of writing. Should additional relevant or pertinent information become available, Dr. Sahu reserves the right to supplement the discussion and findings. W ATTACHMENT A - RESUME RANAJIT (RON) SAHU, Ph.D, QEP, CEM (Nevada) CONSULTANT, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY ISSUES 311 North Story Place Alhambra, CA 91801 Phone: 702.683.5466 e-mail (preferred): sahuron@earthlink.net EXPERIENCE SUMMARY Dr. Sahu has over twenty five years of experience in the fields of environmental, mechanical, and chemical engineering including: program and project management services; design and specification of pollution control equipment for a wide range of emissions sources; soils and groundwater remediation including landfills as remedy; combustion engineering evaluations; energy studies; multimedia environmental regulatory compliance (involving statutes and regulations such as the Federal CAA and its Amendments, Clean Water Act, TSCA, RCRA, CERCLA, SARA, OSHA, NEPA as well as various related state statutes); transportation air quality impact analysis; multimedia compliance audits; multimedia permitting (including air quality NSR/PSD permitting, Title V permitting, NPDES permitting for industrial and storm water discharges, RCRA permitting, etc.), multimedia/multi- pathway human health risk assessments for toxics; air dispersion modeling; and regulatory strategy development and support including negotiation of consent agreements and orders. Specifically, over the last twenty-three years, Dr. Sahu has consulted on several municipal landfill related projects addressing landfill gas generation, landfill gas collection, and the treatment/disposal/control of such gases in combustion equipment such as engines, turbines, and flares. In particular, Dr. Sahu has executed numerous projects relating to flare emissions from sources such as landfills as well as refineries and chemical plants. He has served as a peer -reviewer for EPA in relation to flare combustion efficiency, flare destruction efficiency, and flaring emissions. A significant portion of Dr. Sahu's educational background and consulting experience deals with addressing environmental impacts due to coal-fired power plants including all aspects of air emissions from such plants but also environmental impacts from water/waste water, cooling water, and solid/hazardous wastes at such plants and impacts due to coal mining, transportation, and stockpiling. Dr. Sahu holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D., in Mechanical Engineering, the first from the Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur, India) and the latter two from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. His research specialization was in the combustion of coal and, among other things, understanding air pollution aspects of coal combustion in power plants as well as the formation of ash during combustion. He has over twenty-three years of project management experience and has successfully managed and executed numerous projects in this time period. This includes basic and applied research projects, design projects, regulatory compliance projects, permitting projects, energy studies, risk assessment projects, and projects involving the communication of environmental data and information to the public. Notably, he has successfully managed a complex soils and groundwater remediation 25 project with a value of over $140 million involving soils characterization, development and implementation of the remediation strategy including construction of a CAMU/landfill and associated groundwater monitoring, regulatory and public interactions and other challenges. He has provided consulting services to numerous private sector, public sector and public interest group clients. His major clients over the past twenty three years include various steel mills, petroleum refineries, cement companies, aerospace companies, power generation facilities, lawn and garden equipment manufacturers, spa manufacturers, chemical distribution facilities, and various entities in the public sector including EPA, the US Dept. of Justice, California DTSC, various municipalities, etc.). Dr. Sahu has performed projects in over 44 states, numerous local jurisdictions and internationally. In addition to consulting, Dr. Sahu has taught numerous courses in several Southern California universities including UCLA (air pollution), UC Riverside (air pollution, process hazard analysis), and Loyola Marymount University (air pollution, risk assessment, hazardous waste management) for the past seventeen years. In this time period he has also taught at Caltech, his alma mater (various engineering courses), at the University of Southern California (air pollution controls) and at California State University, Fullerton (transportation and air quality). Dr. Sahu. has and continues to provide expert witness services in a number of environmental areas discussed above in both state and Federal courts as well as before administrative bodies. EXPERIENCE RECORD 2000-present Independent Consultant. Providing a variety of private sector (industrial companies, land development companies, law firms, etc.) public sector (such as the US Department of Justice) and public interest group clients with project management, air quality consulting, waste remediation and management consulting, as well as regulatory and engineering support consulting services. 1995-2000 Parsons ES, Associate, Senior Project Manager and Department Manager for Air Quality/ Geosciences /Hazardous Waste Groups, Pasadena. Responsible for the management of a group of approximately 24 air quality and environmental professionals, 15 geoscience, and 10 hazardous waste professionals providing full - service consulting, project management, regulatory compliance and A/E design assistance in all areas. Parsons ES, Manager for Air Source Testing Services. Responsible for the management of 8 individuals in the area of air source testing and air regulatory permitting projects located in Bakersfield, California. 1992-1995 Engineering -Science, Inc. Principal Engineer and Senior Project Manager in the air quality department. Responsibilities included multimedia regulatory compliance and permitting (including hazardous and nuclear materials), air pollution engineering (emissions from stationary and mobile sources, control of criteria and air toxics, dispersion modeling, risk assessment, visibility analysis, odor analysis), supervisory functions and project management. we 1990-1992 Engineering -Science, Inc. Principal Engineer and Project Manager in the air quality department. Responsibilities included permitting, tracking regulatory issues, technical analysis, and supervisory functions on numerous air, water, and hazardous waste projects. Responsibilities also include client and agency interfacing, project cost and schedule control, and reporting to internal and external upper management regarding project status. 1989-1990 Kinetics Technology International, Corp. Development Engineer. Involved in thermal engineering R&D and project work related to low-NOx ceramic radiant burners, fired heater NOx reduction, SCR design, and fired heater retrofitting. 1988-1989 Heat Transfer Research, Inc. Research Engineer. Involved in the design of fired heaters, heat exchangers, air coolers, and other non -fired equipment. Also did research in the area of heat exchanger tube vibrations. EDUCATION 1984-1988 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Pasadena, CA. 1984 M. S., Mechanical Engineering, Caltech, Pasadena, CA. 1978-1983 B. Tech (Honors), Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, India TEACHING EXPERIENCE Caltech "Thermodynamics," Teaching Assistant, California Institute of Technology, 1983, 1987. "Air Pollution Control," Teaching Assistant, California Institute of Technology, 1985. "Caltech Secondary and High School Saturday Program," - taught various mathematics (algebra through calculus) and science (physics and chemistry) courses to high school students, 1983-1989. "Heat Transfer," - taught this course in the Fall and Winter terms of 1994-1995 in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science. "Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer," Fall and Winter Terms of 1996-1997. U.C. Riverside, Extension "Toxic and Hazardous Air Contaminants," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California. Various years since 1992. "Prevention and Management of Accidental Air Emissions," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California. Various years since 1992. 27 "Air Pollution Control Systems and Strategies," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California, Summer 1992-93, Summer 1993-1994. "Air Pollution Calculations," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California, Fall 1993-94, Winter 1993-94, Fall 1994-95. "Process Safety Management," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California. Various years since 1992-2010. "Process Safety Management," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California, at SCAQMD, Spring 1993-94. "Advanced Hazard Analysis - A Special Course for LEPCs," University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California, taught at San Diego, California, Spring 1993-1994. "Advanced Hazardous Waste Management" University of California Extension Program, Riverside, California. 2005. Loyola Marymount University "Fundamentals of Air Pollution - Regulations, Controls and Engineering," Loyola Marymount University, Dept. of Civil Engineering. Various years since 1993. "Air Pollution Control," Loyola Marymount University, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Fall 1994. "Environmental Risk Assessment," Loyola Marymount University, Dept. of Civil Engineering. Various years since 1998. "Hazardous Waste Remediation" Loyola Marymount University, Dept. of Civil Engineering. Various years since 2006. University of Southern California "Air Pollution Controls," University of Southern California, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Fall 1993, Fall 1994. "Air Pollution Fundamentals," University of Southern California, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Winter 1994. University of California, Los Angeles "Air Pollution Fundamentals," University of California, Los Angeles, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Spring 1994, Spring 1999, Spring 2000, Spring 2003, Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009. International Programs "Environmental Planning and Management," 5 week program for visiting Chinese delegation, 1994. W9. "Environmental Planning and Management," 1 day program for visiting Russian delegation, 1995. "Air Pollution Planning and Management," IEP, UCR, Spring 1996. "Environmental Issues and Air Pollution," IEP, UCR, October 1996. PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND HONORS President of India Gold Medal, IIT Kharagpur, India, 1983. Member of the Alternatives Assessment Committee of the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission, established by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, 1992-present. American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Los Angeles Section Executive Committee, Heat Transfer Division, and Fuels and Combustion Technology Division, 1987-present. Air and Waste Management Association, West Coast Section, 1989-present. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS EIT, California (# XE088305), 1993. REA I, California (#07438), 2000. Certified Permitting Professional, South Coast AQMD (#C8320), since 1993. QEP, Institute of Professional Environmental Practice, since 2000. CEM, State of Nevada (#EM-1699). Expiration 10/07/2017. 3t ATTACHMENT B — LIST OF PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS PUBLICATIONS (PARTIAL LIST) "Physical Properties and Oxidation Rates of Chars from Bituminous Coals," with Y.A. Levendis, R.C. Flagan and G.R. Gavalas, Fuel, 67, 275-283 (1988). "Char Combustion: Measurement and Analysis of Particle Temperature Histories," with R.C. Flagan, G.R. Gavalas and P.S. Northrop, Comb. Sci. Tech. 60, 215-230 (1988). "On the Combustion of Bituminous Coal Chars," PhD Thesis, California Institute of Technology (1988). "Optical Pyrometry: A Powerful Tool for Coal Combustion Diagnostics," J. CoalQuality, 8, 17-22 (1989). "Post -Ignition Transients in the Combustion of Single Char Particles," with Y.A. Levendis, R.C.Flagan and G.R. Gavalas, Fuel, 68, 849-855 (1989). "A Model for Single Particle Combustion of Bituminous Coal Char." Proc. ASME National Heat Transfer Conference, Philadelphia, HTD-Vol. 106, 505-513 (1989). "Discrete Simulation of Cenospheric Coal -Char Combustion," with R.C. Flagan and G.R.Gavalas, Combust. Flame, 77, 337-346 (1989). "Particle Measurements in Coal Combustion," with R.C. Flagan, in "Combustion Measurements" (ed. N. Chigier), Hemisphere Publishing Corp. (1991). "Cross Linking in Pore Structures and Its Effect on Reactivity," with G.R. Gavalas in preparation. "Natural Frequencies and Mode Shapes of Straight Tubes," Proprietary Report for Heat Transfer Research Institute, Alhambra, CA (1990). "Optimal Tube Layouts for Kamui SL-Series Exchangers," with K. Ishihara, Proprietary Report for Kamui Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan (1990). "HTRI Process Heater Conceptual Design," Proprietary Report for Heat Transfer Research Institute, Alhambra, CA (1990). "Asymptotic Theory of Transonic Wind Tunnel Wall Interference," with N.D. Malmuth and others, Arnold Engineering Development Center, Air Force Systems Command, USAF (1990). "Gas Radiation in a Fired Heater Convection Section," Proprietary Report for Heat Transfer Research Institute, College Station, TX (1990). "Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop in NTIW Heat Exchangers," Proprietary Report for Heat Transfer Research Institute, College Station, TX (1991). "NOx Control and Thermal Design," Thermal Engineering Tech Briefs, (1994). 30 "From Puchase of Landmark Environmental Insurance to Remediation: Case Study in Henderson, Nevada," with Robin E. Bain and Jill Quillin, presented at the AQMA Annual Meeting, Florida, 2001. "The Jones Act Contribution to Global Warming, Acid Rain and Toxic Air Contaminants," with Charles W. Botsford, presented at the AQMA Annual Meeting, Florida, 2001. PRESENTATIONS (PARTIAL LIST) "Pore Structure and Combustion Kinetics - Interpretation of Single Particle Temperature -Time Histories," with P.S. Northrop, R.C. Flagan and G.R. Gavalas, presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting, New York (1987). "Measurement of Temperature -Time Histories of Burning Single Coal Char Particles," with R.C. Flagan, presented at the American Flame Research Committee Fall International Symposium, Pittsburgh, (1988). "Physical Characterization of a Cenospheric Coal Char Burned at High Temperatures," with R.C. Flagan and G.R. Gavalas, presented at the Fall Meeting of the Western States Section of the Combustion Institute, Laguna Beach, California (1988). "Control of Nitrogen Oxide Emissions in Gas Fired Heaters - The Retrofit Experience," with G. P. Croce and R. Patel, presented at the International Conference on Environmental Control of Combustion Processes (Jointly sponsored by the American Flame Research Committee and the Japan Flame Research Committee), Honolulu, Hawaii (1991). "Air Toxics - Past, Present and the Future," presented at the Joint AIChE/AAEE Breakfast Meeting at the AIChE 1991 Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, California, November 17-22 (1991). "Air Toxics Emissions and Risk Impacts from Automobiles Using Reformulated Gasolines," presented at the Third Annual Current Issues in Air Toxics Conference, Sacramento, California, November 9-10 (1992). "Air Toxics from Mobile Sources," presented at the Environmental Health Sciences (ESE) Seminar Series, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, November 12, (1992). "Kilns, Ovens, and Dryers - Present and Future," presented at the Gas Company Air Quality Permit Assistance Seminar, Industry Hills Sheraton, California, November 20, (1992). "The Design and Implementation of Vehicle Scrapping Programs," presented at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Air and Waste Management Association, Denver, Colorado, June 12, 1993. "Air Quality Planning and Control in Beijing, China," presented at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Air and Waste Management Association, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 19-24, 1994. 31 ATTACHMENT C — PREVIOUS EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY 1. Occasions where Dr. Sahu has provided Written or Oral testimony before Congress: (a) In July 2012, provided expert written and oral testimony to the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology at a Hearing entitled "Hitting the Ethanol Blend Wall — Examining the Science on E15." 2. Matters for which Dr. Sahu has provided affidavits and expert reports include: (b) Affidavit for Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, Inc. located in Pueblo Colorado — dealing with the technical uncertainties associated with night-time opacity measurements in general and at this steel mini -mill. (c) Expert reports and depositions (2/28/2002 and 3/1/2002; 12/2/2003 and 12/3/2003; 5/24/2004) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Ohio Edison NSR Cases. United States, et al. P. Ohio Edison Co., et al., C2-99-1181 (Southern District of Ohio). (d) Expert reports and depositions (5/23/2002 and 5/24/2002) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Illinois Power NSR Case. United States P. Illinois Power Co., et al., 99-833-MJR (Southern District of Illinois). (e) Expert reports and depositions (11/25/2002 and 11/26/2002) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Duke Power NSR Case. United States, et al. P. Duke Energy Corp., 1:00-CV-1262 (Middle District of North Carolina). (f) Expert reports and depositions (10/6/2004 and 10/7/2004; 7/10/2006) on behalf of the United States in connection with the American Electric Power NSR Cases. United States, et al. P. American Electric Power Service Corp., et al., C2-99-1182, C2-99-1250 (Southern District of Ohio). (g) Affidavit (March 2005) on behalf of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and others in the matter of the Application of Heron Lake BioEnergy LLC to construct and operate an ethanol production facility — submitted to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (h) Expert Report and Deposition (10/31 /2005 and 11 /1 /2005) on behalf of the United States in connection with the East Kentucky Power Cooperative NSR Case. United States V. East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., 5:04-cv-00034-KSF (Eastern District of Kentucky). (i) Affidavits and deposition on behalf of Basic Management Inc. (BMI) Companies in connection with the BMI vs. USA remediation cost recovery Case. (j) Expert Report on behalf of Penn Future and others in the Cambria Coke plant permit challenge in Pennsylvania. (k) Expert Report on behalf of the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment and others in the Western Greenbrier permit challenge in West Virginia. 32 (1) Expert Report, deposition (via telephone on January 26, 2007) on behalf of various Montana petitioners (Citizens Awareness Network (CAN), Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) and the Clark Fork Coalition (CFC)) in the Thompson River Cogeneration LLC Permit No. 3175-04 challenge. (m) Expert Report and deposition (2/2/07) on behalf of the Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) in the matter of the permit challenges to TXU Project Apollo's eight new proposed PRB-fired PC boilers located at seven TX sites. (n) Expert Testimony (July 2007) on behalf of the Izaak Walton League of America and others in connection with the acquisition of power by Xcel Energy from the proposed Gascoyne Power Plant — at the State of Minnesota, Office of Administrative Hearings for the Minnesota PUC (MPUC No. E002/CN-06-1518; OAH No. 12-2500-17857-2). (o) Affidavit (July 2007) Comments on the Big Cajun I Draft Permit on behalf of the Sierra Club — submitted to the Louisiana DEQ. (p) Expert Report and Deposition (12/13/2007) on behalf of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — Dept. of Environmental Protection, State of Connecticut, State of New York, and State of New Jersey (Plaintiffs) in connection with the Allegheny Energy NSR Case. Plaintiffs P. Allegheny Energy Inc., et al., 2:05cv0885 (Western District of Pennsylvania). (q) Expert Reports and Pre -filed Testimony before the Utah Air Quality Board on behalf of Sierra Club in the Sevier Power Plant permit challenge. (r) Expert Report and Deposition (October 2007) on behalf of MTD Products Inc., in connection with General Power Products, LLC v MTD Products Inc., 1:06 CVA 0143 (Southern District of Ohio, Western Division) . (s) Expert Report and Deposition (June 2008) on behalf of Sierra Club and others in the matter of permit challenges (Title V: 28.0801-29 and PSD: 28.0803-PSD) for the Big Stone II unit, proposed to be located near Milbank, South Dakota. (t) Expert Reports, Affidavit, and Deposition (August 15, 2008) on behalf of Earthjustice in the matter of air permit challenge (CT-4631) for the Basin Electric Dry Fork station, under construction near Gillette, Wyoming before the Environmental Quality Council of the State of Wyoming. (u) Affidavits (May 2010/June 2010 in the Office of Administrative Hearings))/Declaration and Expert Report (November 2009 in the Office of Administrative Hearings) on behalf of NRDC and the Southern Environmental Law Center in the matter of the air permit challenge for Duke Cliffside Unit 6. Office of Administrative Hearing Matters 08 EHR 0771, 0835 and 0836 and 09 HER 3102, 3174, and 3176 (consolidated). (v) Declaration (August 2008), Expert Report (January 2009), and Declaration (May 2009) on behalf of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in the matter of the air permit challenge for Duke Cliffside Unit 6. Southern Alliance for Clean Energy et al., P. Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, Case No. 1:08-cv- 00318-LHT-DLH (Western District of North Carolina, Asheville Division). 33 (w) Declaration (August 2008) on behalf of the Sierra Club in the matter of Dominion Wise County plant MACT.us (x) Expert Report Qune 2008) on behalf of Sierra Club for the Green Energy Resource Recovery Project, MACT Analysis. (y) Expert Report (February 2009) on behalf of Sierra Club and the Environmental Integrity Project in the matter of the air permit challenge for NRG Limestone's proposed Unit 3 in Texas. (z) Expert Report Qune 2009) on behalf of MTD Products, Inc., in the matter of Alice Holmes and Vernon Holmes v. Home Depot USA, Inc., et al. (aa) Expert Report (August 2009) on behalf of Sierra Club and the Southern Environmental Law Center in the matter of the air permit challenge for Santee Cooper's proposed Pee Dee plant in South Carolina). (bb) Statements (May 2008 and September 2009) on behalf of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency in the matter of the Minnesota Haze State Implementation Plans. (cc) Expert Report (August 2009) on behalf of Environmental Defense, in the matter of permit challenges to the proposed Las Brisas coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). (dd) Expert Report and Rebuttal Report (September 2009) on behalf of the Sierra Club, in the matter of challenges to the proposed Medicine Bow Fuel and Power IGL plant in Cheyenne, Wyoming. (ee) Expert Report (December 2009) and Rebuttal reports (May 2010 and June 2010) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Alabama Power Company NSR Case. United States V. Alabama Power Company, CV-01-HS-152-S (Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division). (ff Pre -filed Testimony (October 2009) on behalf of Environmental Defense and others, in the matter of challenges to the proposed White Stallion Energy Center coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). (gg) Pre -filed Testimony Quly 2010) and Written Rebuttal Testimony (August 2010) on behalf of the State of New Mexico Environment Department in the matter of Proposed Regulation 20.2.350 NMAC — Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Provisions, No. EIB 10-04 (R), to the State of New Mexico, Environmental Improvement Board. (hh) Expert Report (August 2010) and Rebuttal Expert Report (October 2010) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Louisiana Generating NSR Case. United States v. Louisiana Generating, LLC, 09-CV100-RET-CN (Middle District of Louisiana) — Liability Phase. (ii) Declaration (August 2010), Reply Declaration (November 2010), Expert Report (April 2011), Supplemental and Rebuttal Expert Report Quly 2011) on behalf of the United States in the matter of DTE Energy Company and Detroit Edison Company (Monroe Unit 2). United States ofAmerica v. 34 DTE Energy Company and Detroit Edison Company, Civil Action No. 2:10-cv-13101-BAF-RSW (Eastern District of Michigan). (jj) Expert Report and Deposition (August 2010) as well as Affidavit (September 2010) on behalf of Kentucky Waterways Alliance, Sierra Club, and Valley Watch in the matter of challenges to the NPDES permit issued for the Trimble County power plant by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet to Louisville Gas and Electric, File No. DOW-41106-047. (kk) Expert Report (August 2010), Rebuttal Expert Report (September 2010), Supplemental Expert Report (September 2011), and Declaration (November 2011) on behalf of Wild Earth Guardians in the matter of opacity exceedances and monitor downtime at the Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel)'s Cherokee power plant. No. 09-cv-1862 (District of Colorado). (ll) Written Direct Expert Testimony (August 2010) and Affidavit (February 2012) on behalf of Fall - Line Alliance for a Clean Environment and others in the matter of the PSD Air Permit for Plant Washington issued by Georgia DNR at the Office of State Administrative Hearing, State of Georgia (OSAH-BNR-AQ-1031707-98-WALKER). (mm) Deposition (August 2010) on behalf of Environmental Defense, in the matter of the remanded permit challenge to the proposed Las Brisas coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). (nn) Expert Report, Supplemental/Rebuttal Expert Report, and Declarations (October 2010, November 2010, September 2012) on behalf of New Mexico Environment Department (Plaintiff - Intervenor), Grand Canyon Trust and Sierra Club (Plaintiffs) in the matter of Plaintiffs v. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM), Civil No. 1:02-CV-0552 BB/ATC (ACE) (District of New Mexico). (oo) Expert Report (October 2010) and Rebuttal Expert Report (November 2010) (BART Determinations for PSCo Hayden and CSU Martin Drake units) to the Colorado Air Quality Commission on behalf of Coalition of Environmental Organizations. (pp) Expert Report (November 2010) (BART Determinations for TriState Craig Units, CSU Nixon Unit, and PRPA Rawhide Unit) to the Colorado Air Quality Commission on behalf of Coalition of Environmental Organizations. (qq) Declaration (November 2010) on behalf of the Sierra Club in connection with the Martin Lake Station Units 1, 2, and 3. Sierra Club P. Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Luminant Generation Company LLC, Case No. 5:1 0-cv-00 1 56-DF-CMC (Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division). (rr) Pre -Filed Testimony Qanuary 2011) and Declaration (February 2011) to the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH) in the matter of Minor Source HAPs status for the proposed Longleaf Energy Associates power plant (OSAH-BNR-AQ-1 1 15157-60-HOWELLS) on behalf of the Friends of the Chattahoochee and the Sierra Club). (ss) Declaration (February 2011) in the matter of the Draft Title V Permit for RRI Energy MidAtlantic Power Holdings LLC Shawville Generating Station (Pennsylvania), ID No. 17-00001 on behalf of the Sierra Club. 35 (tt) Expert Report (March 2011), Rebuttal Expert Report Qune 2011) on behalf of the United States in United States ofAmerica v. Cemex, Inc., Civil Action No. 09-cv-00019-MSK-MEH (District of Colorado). (uu) Declaration (April 2011) and Expert Report Quly 16, 2012) in the matter of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA)'s Fayette (Sam Seymour) Power Plant on behalf of the Texas Campaign for the Environment. Texas Campaign for the Environment V. Lower Colorado River Authority, Civil Action No. 4:11-cv-00791 (Southern District of Texas, Houston Division). (vv) Declaration Qune 2011) on behalf of the Plaintiffs MYTAPN in the matter of Microsoft -Yes, Toxic Air Pollution -No (MYTAPN) v. State of Washington, Department of Ecology and Microsoft Corporation Columbia Data Center to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, State of Washington, Matter No. PCHB No. 10-162. (ww) Expert Report Qune 2011) on behalf of the New Hampshire Sierra Club at the State of New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, Docket No. 10-261 — the 2010 Least Cost Integrated Resource Plan (LCIRP) submitted by the Public Service Company of New Hampshire (re. Merrimack Station Units 1 and 2). (xx) Declaration (August 2011) in the matter of the Sandy Creek Energy Associates L.P. Sandy Creek Power Plant on behalf of Sierra Club and Public Citizen. Sierra Club, Inc. and Public Citi.Zen, Inc. v. Sandy Creek Energy Associates, L.P., Civil Action No. A-08-CA-648-LY (Western District of Texas, Austin Division). (yy) Expert Report (October 2011) on behalf of the Defendants in the matter of John Quiles and Jeanette Quiles et al. P. Bradford -White Corporation, MTD Products, Inc., Kohler Co., et al., Case No. 3:10-cv-747 (TJM/DEP) (Northern District of New York). (zz) Declaration (February 2012) and Second Declaration (February 2012) in the matter of Washington Environmental Council and Sierra Club Washington State Chapter v. Washington State Department of Ecology and Western States Petroleum Association, Case No. 11-417-MJP (Western District of Washington). (aaa) Expert Report (March 2012) and Supplemental Expert Report (November 2013) in the matter of Environment Texas Citi.Zen Lobby, Inc and Sierra Club v. ExxonMobil Corporation et al., Civil Action No. 4:10-cv-4969 (Southern District of Texas, Houston Division). (bbb) Declaration (March 2012) in the matter of Center for Biological Diversity, et al. P. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Case No. 11-1101 (consolidated with 11-1285, 11-1328 and 11-1336) (US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit). (ccc) Declaration (March 2012) in the matter of Sierra Club P. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Case No. 11-105,493-AS (Holcomb power plant) (Supreme Court of the State of Kansas). (ddd) Declaration (March 2012) in the matter of the Las Brisas Energy Center Environmental Defense Fund et al., v. Texas Commission on EnvironmentalQuality, Cause No. D-1-GN-11-001364 (District Court of Travis County, Texas, 261"judicial District). 36 (eee) Expert Report (April 2012), Supplemental and Rebuttal Expert Report Quly 2012), and Supplemental Rebuttal Expert Report (August 2012) on behalf of the states of New Jersey and Connecticut in the matter of the Portland Power plant State of New Jersey and State of Connecticut (Intervenor -Plaint v. RRI Energy Mid -Atlantic Power Holdings et al., Civil Action No. 07-CV-5298 QKG) (Eastern District of Pennsylvania). (fffl Declaration (April 2012) in the matter of the EPA's EGU MATS Rule, on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Project. (ggg) Expert Report (August 2012) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Louisiana Generating NSR Case. United States v. Louisiana Generating, LLC, 09-CV100-RET-CN (Middle District of Louisiana) — Harm Phase. (hhh) Declaration (September 2012) in the Matter of the Application of Energy Answers Incinerator, Inc. for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to Construct a 120 MW Generating Facility in Baltimore City, Maryland, before the Public Service Commission of Maryland, Case No. 9199. (iii) Expert Report (October 2012) on behalf of the Appellants (Robert Concilus and Leah Humes) in the matter of Robert Concilus and Leah Humes v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Crawford Renewable Energy, before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, Docket No. 2011-167-R. (jjj) Expert Report (October 2012), Supplemental Expert Report Qanuary 2013), and Affidavit Qune 2013) in the matter of various Environmental Petitioners v. North Carolina DENR/DAQ and Carolinas Cement Company, before the Office of Administrative Hearings, State of North Carolina. (kkk) Pre -filed Testimony (October 2012) on behalf of No -Sag in the matter of the North Springfield Sustainable Energy Project before the State of Vermont, Public Service Board. (lll) Pre -filed Testimony (November 2012) on behalf of Clean Wisconsin in the matter of Application of Wisconsin Public Service Corporation for Authority to Construct and Place in Operation a New Multi -Pollutant Control Technology System (ReACT) for Unit 3 of the Weston Generating Station, before the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Docket No. 6690-CE-197. (mmm) Expert Report (February 2013) on behalf of Petitioners in the matter of Credence Crematory, Cause No. 12-A J-4538 before the Indiana Office of Environmental Adjudication. (nnn) Expert Report (April 2013), Rebuttal report Quly 2013), and Declarations (October 2013, November 2013) on behalf of the Sierra Club in connection with the Luminant Big Brown Case. Sierra Club P. Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Luminant Generation Company LLC, Civil Action No. 6:12-cv-00108-WSS (Western District of Texas, Waco Division). (000) Declaration (April 2013) on behalf of Petitioners in the matter of Sierra Club, et al., (Petitioners) v Environmental Protection Agency et al. (Resppondents), Case No., 13-1112, (Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit). 37 (ppp) Expert Report (May 2013) and Rebuttal Expert Report Quly 2013) on behalf of the Sierra Club in connection with the Luminant Martin Lake Case. Sierra Club P. Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Luminant Generation Company LLC, Civil Action No. 5:1 0-cv-01 56-MHS-CMC (Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division). (qqq) Declaration (August 2013) on behalf of A. J. Acosta Company, Inc., in the matter of A. J. Acosta Company, Inc., P. County of San Bernardino, Case No. CIVSS803651. (rrr) Comments (October 2013) on behalf of the Washington Environmental Council and the Sierra Club in the matter of the Washington State Oil Refinery RACT (for Greenhouse Gases), submitted to the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Northwest Clean Air Agency, and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. (sss) Statement (November 2013) on behalf of various Environmental Organizations in the matter of the Boswell Energy Center (BEC) Unit 4 Environmental Retrofit Project, to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Docket No. E-015/M-12-920. (ttt) Expert Report (December 2013) on behalf of the United States in United States ofAmerica v. Ameren Missouri, Civil Action No. 4:11-cv-00077-RWS (Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division). (uuu) Expert Testimony (December 2013) on behalf of the Sierra Club in the matter of Public Service Company of New Hampshire Merrimack Station Scrubber Project and Cost Recovery, Docket No. DE 11-250, to the State of New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. (vvv) Expert Report Qanuary 2014) on behalf of Baja, Inc., in Baja, Inc., V. Automotive Testing and Development Services, Inc. et. al, Civil Action No. 8:13-CV-02057-GRA (District of South Carolina, Anderson/Greenwood Division). (www) Declaration (March 2014) on behalf of the Center for International Environmental Law, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Friends of the Earth, Pacific Environment, and the Sierra Club (Plaintiffs) in the matter of Plaintos v. the EVort-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) of the United States, Civil Action No. 13-1820 RC (District Court for the District of Columbia). (xxx) Declaration (April 2014) on behalf of Respondent -Intervenors in the matter of Mexichem Specialty Resins Inc., et al., (Petitioners) v Environmental Protection Agency et al., Case No., 12-1260 (and Consolidated Case Nos. 12-1263, 12-1265, 12-1266, and 12-1267), (Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit). (yyy) Direct Prefiled Testimony Qune 2014) on behalf of the Michigan Environmental Council and the Sierra Club in the matter of the Application of DTE Electric Company for Authority to Implement a Power Supply Cost Recovery (PSCR) Plan in its Rate Schedules for 2014 Metered Jurisdictional Sales of Electricity, Case No. U-17319 (Michigan Public Service Commission). (zzz) Expert Report Qune 2014) on behalf of ECM Biofilms in the matter of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) v. ECM Biofilms (FTC Docket #9358). (aaaa) Direct Prefiled Testimony (August 2014) on behalf of the Michigan Environmental Council and the Sierra Club in the matter of the Application of Consumers Energy Company for Authority to Implement a Power Supply Cost Recovery (PSCR) Plan in its Rate Schedules for 2014 Metered Jurisdictional Sales of Electricity, Case No. U-17317 (Michigan Public Service Commission). (bbbb) Declaration Quly 2014) on behalf of Public Health Intervenors in the matter of EME Homer City Generation P. US EPA (Case No. 11-1302 and consolidated cases) relating to the lifting of the stay entered by the Court on December 30, 2011 (US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia). (cccc) Expert Report (September 2014), Rebuttal Expert Report (December 2014) and Supplemental Expert Report (March 2015) on behalf of Plaintiffs in the matter of Sierra Club and Montana Environmental Information Center (Plaintiffs) P. PPL Montana LLC, Avista Corporation, Puget Sound Energy, Portland General Electric Company, Nortbavestern Corporation, and Pacifcorp (Defendants), Civil Action No. CV 13-32-BLG-DLC JCL (US District Court for the District of Montana, Billings Division). (dddd) Expert Report (November 2014) on behalf of Niagara County, the Town of Lewiston, and the Villages of Lewiston and Youngstown in the matter of CWM Chemical Services, LLC New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Permit Application Nos.: 9-2934- 00022/00225, 9-2934-00022/00231, 9-2934-00022/00232, and 9-2934-00022/00249 (pending). (eeee) Pre -filed Direct Testimony (March 2015) and Rebuttal Testimony (August 2015) on behalf of Friends of the Columbia Gorge in the matter of the Application for a Site Certificate for the Troutdale Energy Center before the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council. (ffffl Expert Report (March 2015) on behalf of Plaintiffs in the matter of Conservation Law Foundation P. Broadrock Gas Services LLC, Rbode Island LFG GENCO LLC, and Rbode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (Defendants), Civil Action No. 1:13-cv-00777-M-PAS (US District Court for the District of Rhode Island). (gggg) Direct Prefiled Testimony (May 2015) on behalf of the Michigan Environmental Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club in the matter of the Application of DTE Electric Company for Authority to Increase its Rates, Amend its Rate Schedules and Rules Governing the Distribution and Supply of Electric Energy and for Miscellaneous Accounting Authority, Case No. U-17767 (Michigan Public Service Commission). (hhhh) Expert Report Quly 2015) and Rebuttal Expert Report Quly 2015) on behalf of Plaintiffs in the matter of Northwest Environmental Defense Center et. al., P. Cascade Kelly Holdings LLC, dl bl a Columbia Pacific Bio-Refnery, and Global Partners LP (Defendants), Civil Action No. 3:14-cv-01059-SI (US District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division). (iiii) Declaration (August 2015, Docket No. 1570376) in support of "Opposition of Respondent - Intervenors American Lung Association, et. al., to Tri-State Generation's Emergency Motion;" Declaration (September 2015, Docket No. 1574820) in support of "Joint Motion of the state, Local Government, and Public Health Respondent -Intervenors for Remand Without Vacatur," Wlbite Stallion Energy Center, LLC v. US EPA, Case No. 12-1100 (US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia). (jjjj) Expert Report (November 2015) on behalf of Appellants in the matter of Sierra Club, et al. v. Craig Wl Butler, Director of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ey al., ERAC Case No. 14-256814. at 3. Occasions where Dr. Sahu has provided oral testimony in depositions, at trial or in similar proceedings include the following: (kkkk) Deposition on behalf of Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, Inc. located in Pueblo, Colorado — dealing with the manufacture of steel in mini -mills including methods of air pollution control and BACT in steel mini -mills and opacity issues at this steel mini -mill. (llll) Trial Testimony (February 2002) on behalf of Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, Inc. in Denver District Court. (mmmm) Trial Testimony (February 2003) on behalf of the United States in the Ohio Edison NSR Cases, United States, et al. P. Ohio Edison Co., et al., C2-99-1181 (Southern District of Ohio). (nnnn) Trial Testimony Qune 2003) on behalf of the United States in the Illinois Power NSR Case, United States P. Illinois Power Co., et al., 99-833-MJR (Southern District of Illinois). (0000) Deposition (10/20/2005) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Cinergy NSR Case. United States, et al. v. Cinergy Corp., et al., IP 99-1693-C-M/S (Southern District of Indiana). (pppp) Oral Testimony (August 2006) on behalf of the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment re. the Western Greenbrier plant, WV before the West Virginia DEP. (gggq) Oral Testimony (May 2007) on behalf of various Montana petitioners (Citizens Awareness Network (CAN), Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) and the Clark Fork Coalition (CFC)) re. the Thompson River Cogeneration plant before the Montana Board of Environmental Review. (rrrr) Oral Testimony (October 2007) on behalf of the Sierra Club re. the Sevier Power Plant before the Utah Air Quality Board. (ssss) Oral Testimony (August 2008) on behalf of the Sierra Club and Clean Water re. Big Stone Unit II before the South Dakota Board of Minerals and the Environment. (tttt) Oral Testimony (February 2009) on behalf of the Sierra Club and the Southern Environmental Law Center re. Santee Cooper Pee Dee units before the South Carolina Board of Health and Environmental Control. (uuuu) Oral Testimony (February 2009) on behalf of the Sierra Club and the Environmental Integrity Project re. NRG Limestone Unit 3 before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Administrative Law Judges. (vvw) Deposition Quly 2009) on behalf of MTD Products, Inc., in the matter of Alice Holmes and Vernon Holmes P. Home Depot USA, Inc., et al. (wwww) Deposition (October 2009) on behalf of Environmental Defense and others, in the matter of challenges to the proposed Coleto Creek coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). .O (xxxx) Deposition (October 2009) on behalf of Environmental Defense, in the matter of permit challenges to the proposed Las Brisas coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). (yyyy) Deposition (October 2009) on behalf of the Sierra Club, in the matter of challenges to the proposed Medicine Bow Fuel and Power IGL plant in Cheyenne, Wyoming. (zzzz) Deposition (October 2009) on behalf of Environmental Defense and others, in the matter of challenges to the proposed Tenaska coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). (April 2010). (aaaaa) Oral Testimony (November 2009) on behalf of the Environmental Defense Fund re. the Las Brisas Energy Center before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Administrative Law Judges. (bbbbb) Deposition (December 2009) on behalf of Environmental Defense and others, in the matter of challenges to the proposed White Stallion Energy Center coal fired power plant project at the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). (ccccc) Oral Testimony (February 2010) on behalf of the Environmental Defense Fund re. the White Stallion Energy Center before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Administrative Law Judges. (ddddd) Deposition Qune 2010) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Alabama Power Company NSR Case. United Stater v. Alabama Power Company, CV-01 -HS-1 52-S (Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division). (eeeee) Trial Testimony (September 2010) on behalf of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — Dept. of Environmental Protection, State of Connecticut, State of New York, State of Maryland, and State of New Jersey (Plaintiffs) in connection with the Allegheny Energy NSR Case in US District Court in the Western District of Pennsylvania. Plaints v. Allegheny Energy Inc., et al., 2:05cv0885 (Western District of Pennsylvania). (fffff Oral Direct and Rebuttal Testimony (September 2010) on behalf of Fall -Line Alliance for a Clean Environment and others in the matter of the PSD Air Permit for Plant Washington issued by Georgia DNR at the Office of State Administrative Hearing, State of Georgia (OSAH-BNR-AQ- 1031707-98-WALKER). (ggggg) Oral Testimony (September 2010) on behalf of the State of New Mexico Environment Department in the matter of Proposed Regulation 20.2.350 NMAC — Greenhouse Gas Cap and Trade Provisions, No. EIB 10-04 (R), to the State of New Mexico, Environmental Improvement Board. (hhhhh) Oral Testimony (October 2010) on behalf of the Environmental Defense Fund re. the Las Brisas Energy Center before the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) Administrative Law Judges. 41 Oral Testimony (November 2010) regarding BART for PSCo Hayden, CSU Martin Drake units before the Colorado Air Quality Commission on behalf of the Coalition of Environmental Organizations. (jjjjj) Oral Testimony (December 2010) regarding BART for TriState Craig Units, CSU Nixon Unit, and PRPA Rawhide Unit) before the Colorado Air Quality Commission on behalf of the Coalition of Environmental Organizations. (kkkkk) Deposition (December 2010) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Louisiana Generating NSR Case. United States P. Louisiana Generating LLC, 09-CV100-RET-CN (Middle District of Louisiana). (lllll) Deposition (February 2011 and January 2012) on behalf of Wild Earth Guardians in the matter of opacity exceedances and monitor downtime at the Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel)'s Cherokee power plant. No. 09-cv-1862 (D. Colo.). (mmmmm) Oral Testimony (February 2011) to the Georgia Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH) in the matter of Minor Source HAPs status for the proposed Longleaf Energy Associates power plant (OSAH-BNR-AQ-1 1 15157-60-HOWELLS) on behalf of the Friends of the Chattahoochee and the Sierra Club). (nnnnn) Deposition (August 2011) on behalf of the United States in United States ofAmerica V. Cemex, Inc., Civil Action No. 09-cv-00019-MSK-MEH (District of Colorado). (00000) Deposition (July 2011) and Oral Testimony at Hearing (February 2012) on behalf of the Plaintiffs MYTAPN in the matter of Microsoft -Yes, Toxic Air Pollution -No (MYTAPN) v. State of Washington, Department of Ecology and Microsoft Corporation Columbia Data Center to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, State of Washington, Matter No. PCHB No. 10-162. (ppppp) Oral Testimony at Hearing (March 2012) on behalf of the United States in connection with the Louisiana Generating NSR Case. United States P. Louisiana Generating LLC, 09-CV100-RET-CN (Middle District of Louisiana). (gggqq) Oral Testimony at Hearing (April 2012) on behalf of the New Hampshire Sierra Club at the State of New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, Docket No. 10-261 — the 2010 Least Cost Integrated Resource Plan (LCIRP) submitted by the Public Service Company of New Hampshire (re. Merrimack Station Units 1 and 2). (rrrrr) Oral Testimony at Hearing (November 2012) on behalf of Clean Wisconsin in the matter of Application of Wisconsin Public Service Corporation for Authority to Construct and Place in Operation a New Multi -Pollutant Control Technology System (ReACT) for Unit 3 of the Weston Generating Station, before the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Docket No. 6690-CE- 197. (sssss) Deposition (March 2013) in the matter of various Environmental Petitioners v. North Carolina DENR/DAQ and Carolinas Cement Company, before the Office of Administrative Hearings, State of North Carolina. 42 (ttttt) Deposition (August 2013) on behalf of the Sierra Club in connection with the Luminant Big Brown Case. Sierra Club v. Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Luminant Generation Company LLC, Civil Action No. 6:12-cv-00108-WSS (Western District of Texas, Waco Division). (uuuuu) Deposition (August 2013) on behalf of the Sierra Club in connection with the Luminant Martin Lake Case. Sierra Club v. Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Luminant Generation Company LLC, Civil Action No. 5:1 0-cv-01 56-MHS-CMC (Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division). (vvvvv) Deposition (February 2014) on behalf of the United States in United States ofAmenca P. Ameren Missouri, Civil Action No. 4:11-cv-00077-RWS (Eastern District of Missouri, Eastern Division). (wwwww) Trial Testimony (February 2014) in the matter of Environment Texas Citizen Lobby, Inc and Sierra Club v. ExxonMobil Corporation et al., Civil Action No. 4:10-cv-4969 (Southern District of Texas, Houston Division). (xxxxx) Trial Testimony (February 2014) on behalf of the Sierra Club in connection with the Luminant Big Brown Case. Sierra Club v. Energy Future Holdings Corporation and Luminant Generation Company LLC, Civil Action No. 6:12-cv-00108-WSS (Western District of Texas, Waco Division). (yyyyy) Deposition Qune 2014) and Trial (August 2014) on behalf of ECM Biofilms in the matter of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) P. ECM Biofilms (FTC Docket #9358). (zzzzz) Deposition (February 2015) on behalf of Plaintiffs in the matter of Sierra Club and Montana Environmental Information Center (Plaintiffs) P. PPL Montana LLC, Avista Corporation, Puget Sound Energy, Portland General Electric Company, Northwestern Corporation, and Pacifrcorp (Defendants), Civil Action No. CV 13-32-BLG-DLC JCL (US District Court for the District of Montana, Billings Division). (aaaaaa) Oral Testimony at Hearing (April 2015) on behalf of Niagara County, the Town of Lewiston, and the Villages of Lewiston and Youngstown in the matter of CWM Chemical Services, LLC New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Permit Application Nos.: 9- 2934-00022/00225, 9-2934-00022/00231, 9-2934-00022/00232, and 9-2934-00022/00249 (pending). (bbbbbb) Deposition (August 2015) on behalf of Plaintiff in the matter of Conservation Late Foundation (Plaint v. Broadrock Gas Services LLC, Rhode Island LFG GENCO LLC, and Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (Defendants), Civil Action No. 1: 1 3-cv-00777-M-PAS (US District Court for the District of Rhode Island). (cccccc) Testimony at Hearing (August 2015) on behalf of the Sierra Club in the matter of Amendments to 35 Illinois Administrative Code Parts 214, 217, and 225 before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, R15-21. (dddddd) Deposition (May 2015) on behalf of Plaintiffs in the matter of Northwest Environmental Defense Center et. al., (Plaintiffs) P. Cascade Kelly Holdings LLC, d/bl a Columbia Pacific Bio-Refinery, and Global Partners LP (Defendants), Civil Action No. 3:14-cv-01059-SI (US District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division). 43 (eeeeee) Trial Testimony (October 2015) on behalf of Plaintiffs in the matter of Nortbwest Environmental Defense Center et. al., (Plaintiffs) P. Cascade Kelly Holdings LLC, dl bl a Columbia Pacific Bio-Kefnery, and Global Partners LP (Defendants), Civil Action No. 3:14-cv-01059-SI (US District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division).