Hoosier Energy

Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., commonly referred to as Hoosier Energy, operates as a non-profit electric generation and transmission cooperative in central and southern Indiana. The company provides wholesale electric services to its member distribution cooperatives, who supply power to approximately 800,000 residents, businesses, industries, and farms.

It operates 2 coal-based power production facilities, 2 natural gas-fueled peaking plants, and the 2-megawatt (MW) Clark-Floyd Landfill Methane generation project, a renewable energy facility. As of December 31, 2007, the company delivered electric power to member cooperatives over a system of 1,400 miles of transmission lines and 15 primary substations. It also offers training, safety, marketing, communications, and technical services.

The company is headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana.

Power portfolio
Out of its total 1,957 MW of electric generating capacity in 2005 (0.18% of the U.S. total), Hoosier Energy produces 67.1% from coal and 32.9% from natural gas. All of Hoosier Energy's power plants are in Indiana.

Existing coal-fired power plants
Hoosier Energy owned 4 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 1,313 MW of capacity. Here is a list of Hoosier Energy's coal power plants:

In 2006, Hoosier Energy's 2 coal-fired power plants emitted 8.4 million tons of CO2 and 28,000 tons of SO2.

Study finds dangerous level of hexavalent chromium at Merom waste site
A report released by EarthJustice and the Sierra Club in early February 2011 stated that there are many health threats associated with a toxic cancer-causing chemical found in coal ash waste called hexavalent chromium. The report specifically cited 29 sites in 17 states where the contamination was found. The information was gathered from existing EPA data on coal ash and included locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virgina and Wisconsin. In Indiana, the Merom Generating Station in Sullivan was reported as having high levels of chromium seeping into groundwater from its coal waste landfill.

According to EPA data, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) was reported at the Merom Generating Station All landfill site above 100 ppb (parts per billion) - 5,000 times the proposed California drinking water goals and above the federal drinking water standard.

As a press release about the report read:


 * Hexavalent chromium first made headlines after Erin Brockovich sued Pacific Gas & Electric because of poisoned drinking water from hexavalent chromium. Now new information indicates that the chemical has readily leaked from coal ash sites across the U.S. This is likely the tip of the iceberg because most coal ash dump sites are not adequately monitored.

According to the report, the electric power industry is the leading source of chromium and chromium compounds released into the environment, representing 24 percent of releases by all industries in 2009.

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