Scientist lends weight to Duke coal plant foes

CHAPEL HILL -- Opponents of a proposed coal-burning power plant received support Saturday from a renowned government scientist who has spent nearly two decades sounding the alarm about global warming.

Dr. James Hansen, head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, received a standing ovation after addressing several hundred people at the William and Ida Friday Center in Chapel Hill.

"We really have reached the point of a planetary emergency," said Hansen, who appeared last year on CBS' "60 Minutes."

"We are in danger of passing the tipping point."

The event -- sponsored by the grass-roots organizations N.C. WARN and the Carolinas Clean Air Coalition -- was meant as a direct challenge to Duke Energy's plan to build a new power plant in Cliffside west of Charlotte. A similar event was held in Charlotte on Friday night.

Hansen thinks the United States should immediately issue a moratorium on building new coal-fired plants until technology exists that can capture their carbon dioxide emissions. Hansen said Saturday that moving away from coal-fired plants and placing a price on carbon emissions are necessary steps if the U.S. is to play a significant role in slowing global warming.

Without such steps, Hansen said, the planet risks rising global sea levels and the extinction of many species.

"It's going to take stronger action than has been realized," said Hansen, who urged the audience to pressure politicians at all levels to adopt his recommendations.

In March, the N.C. Utilities Commission voted to allow Duke to build one new coal-burning plant at Cliffside, which the company says is needed to meet the growing energy demand.

Environmentalists have asked regulators to kill the project. The state Department of Environment and Natural Resources is currently reviewing Duke's request for an air-quality permit for the proposed plant.

Hansen garnered immense respect with many in the audience because of his outspokenness on global warming. Several attendees maneuvered to have their photo taken with the unassuming scientist.

"He's been at it a long time," said Durham resident Charles Weil, 67. Weil said he enjoyed Hansen's presentation, which was filled with historical graphs and charts documenting sea levels, planet temperatures and carbon dioxide levels.

Also speaking at Saturday's event was Michael Nicklas, who heads Innovation Design, a Raleigh architecture firm that specializes in environmentally friendly buildings. Nicklas' company has designed more than 4,700 "green" buildings, including Durant Road Middle School and Heritage Middle School in Wake County.

Nicklas' presentation provided alternatives to continuing reliance on coal and other fossil fuels.

"This battle can be won," Nicklas told the audience.