Anderson Abbreviations: aOR, adjusted odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight; PTD, preterm delivery; VPTD, very preterm delivery. Furthermore, although power plant emissions are 1 of the major point sources of air pollution (21), which has been shown to have consistent association with adverse birth outcomes (22), there is limited information on air pollution exposure and pregnant women living close to specific types of power plants. For controls, we used eligible births that had none of the 3 outcomes we assessed. R Steve Clemmer Additional layers which can be toggled on/off include power plant emissions, area demographics, and tribal areas. et al. Natural gas typically moves from production sites (natural gas and oil wells) through a network of small-diameter gathering pipelines to natural gas processing plants for treatment. Many fossil fuel-fired power plants (especially coal-fired power plants) have announced plans to retire, based on data collected by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants is that it may get worse in the coming years. For the layout of plant, prescriptive distances between equipment items are generally used, according to a tabular matrix To describe prenatal exposures to PM2.5, we estimated average daily residential exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy for each birth using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network. If you would like to learn more about these key demographicsor further explore relationships between power plants and environmental justice, investigate EPA's EJSCREEN. WebThis is so because the stack is usually several 100s meters tall, so that pollutants in flue gas are dispersed in the atmosphere and only have an influence at distances in the range of Morara SS C Stolz As noted in the Data Considerations section, information about the adjacent communities can be used to raise awareness and to help people understand the extent to which there may be disproportionate, adverse impacts on overburdened communities. If something happens to go wrong at a nuclear reactor, anyone living in a 10-mile radius of the plant may Y X While a natural gas-fired power plant emits only about half the carbon dioxide as a coal plant, thats still far from zero. S Some women may spend most of their time outside their residential home; therefore, their exposure may be different from that estimated. Webselection of safety distance can prevent optimum utilisation of available space. [33] compared two polygeneration systems, which use natural gas and coal to produce DME and power, using a comprehensive sustainability assessment methodology. The graph below displays the number of plants located in or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for each key demographic. The lack of a positive association could be explained by the fact that, compared with other types of plants, nuclear plants do not emit as many atmospheric pollutants in high concentrations (e.g., PM2.5, sulfur dioxide, and nitric oxides) (35). Checking with the relevant authorities is good.The standard B Reserves, production, prices, employment and productivity, distribution, stocks, imports and exports. Lee For example, you could filter the data to only display the largest emitting coal-fired plants with neighboring communities above the 80th percentile nationally of low-income population. Chang Uranium fuel, nuclear reactors, generation, spent fuel. For example, for oil plants, we compared births within 20 km with births not within 20 km from any plant (e.g., excluding those who were closer to any other types of plant). WebAs long as you follow sensible natural gas safety precaution and understand what to do in a gas leak, natural gas is safe in the home. Lets make sure that does not happen. Now, I know that 1% does not sound like very much, but give me a moment to explain why this is still significant. Data from California Air Resources BoardEmissions Projection Analysis. Ha Krewski Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants. LA Demand for these electric plants is increasing, and the thousands of workers who will be constructing them, and working in them, will rely on better protocols and oversight for their safety. The main pollutants resulting from natural gas electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or NOx. Cons. DM (20), who reported that the odds of PTD were 14 times higher among women who lived within 3 km of a thermal power plant compared with those who lived farther than 3 km. Graphs below summarize the key demographics ofcommunities within three miles ofpower plants. All rights reserved. Sales, revenue and prices, power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, trade, demand & emissions. De Mouzon Zeitlin Soriano We also created 20 km buffers around each birth and determined the total number of power plants within this buffer (Table4). Characteristics of 423,719 Singleton Births in Florida From 2004 to 2005. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. When stratified by type of plants in order to compare birth outcomes among women who lived close to or farther from different types of power plants, our data showed that solid waste plants had associations with all adverse birth outcomes. Called a gas blow, the operation involved workers streaming natural gas through a pipe at a high velocity in order to remove debris from new piping. ML Those who were closest to nuclear plants (mean = 7.7 (SD, 1.9) g/m3) and other plants (mean = 8.5 (SD, 2.0) g/m3) were exposed to the lowest levels of PM2.5 (Figure2B; Supplementary Data). Chen Maps by energy source and topic, includes forecast maps. . Ive lived closer than a lot of people. I slept just a couple hundred feet from one. I worked dozens of feet from them. My apartment where I spent The Natural Resources Defense Council works to safeguard the earth - its people, Stieb This association is also consistent with our data that showed, on average, that women close to nuclear plants and other plants were exposed to lower levels of PM2.5. S Oudin The impacts of power plant emissions are not limited to the areas near power plants. This practice, although common, is inherently unsafe. First, natural gas power plants do not move they just sit there and emit NOx when they are operating. SI EM L The interactive map below shows recent and expected coal, natural gas, oil, and other combustion power plant retirements. Wu You may have heard that natural gas is clean. Compared to coal, natural gas produces less global warming emissions and air pollution. Because of accumulating evidence of a negative relationship between power plants and human health, a few studies have assessed the association between proximity to nuclear power plants and adverse birth outcomes, but no association was found (1719). The first trimester was defined as the first 13 weeks of gestation. Lesson plans, science fair experiments, field trips, teacher guide, and career corner. Workers might also use air, steam, nitrogen, or water *in lieu of natural gas. Reply STOP to cancel. A detailed description of this method was reported elsewhere (23). SC Tools to customize searches, view specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and access time-series data. Displays grown and controlled oxide of nitrogen projected emissions for 2019, excluding emissions from ocean-going vessels further than three nautical miles from the coast. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. The color of the marker indicates fuel type and the marker size represents projected retired nameplate capacity (MW). These emissions really can affect local air quality, and that is why this is a problem. Such information would be valuable in public health efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes. Martinez Roth N et al. S Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues, and trends. When you select a power plant marker, a small window displays plant data such asemissions, generation, fuel type, and key demographics for the communities within three miles of the plant. Rajagopalan Vrijheid Hu M It is an environmental justice screening and mapping tool that utilizes standarddata to highlight places that may have higher environmental burdens and vulnerable populations. For example, among those with term LBW, the percentage of those who lived within 5 km of any power plant (16.1%) was higher than that of controls (14.9%). Greenhouse gas data, voluntary reporting, electric power plant emissions. Population with less than high school education, Type in keywords to query the entry "power plants and neighboring communities", and. Demand for natural gas fluctuates daily and seasonally, but production and pipeline imports are relatively constant in the short term. Covariates were chosen on the basis of a directed acyclic graph (Supplementary Data available at http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/). In general, PM2.5 concentrations tend to cluster around areas with more power plants (Figure1). Yli-Tuomi For example, in Ohio the setback from a homeis 100 feetfrom awell - not even from the boundary of a wellpad - and only 75 feet for a directional well. et al. A Better Way of Paying for a Reliable Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free Electricity. When natural gas arrives at the locations where it will be used (usually through large pipelines), it flows into smaller diameter pipelines called mains and then into smaller service lines that go directly to homes or buildings. Saurel-Cubizolles Park A TH Figure1 shows a map of the spatial distribution of active power plants and the average annual PM2.5 concentrations in Florida during 20032005. You can filter the plants displayed on the map based on demographics, plant characteristics such as size and fuel type, and quantity of annual plant-level emissions of SO2, NOX, CO2, and PM2.5. Explore additional graphs that show distributions of generation and emissions for each of the demographics. Teng Underground Natural Gas Storage by Storage Type, The Basics of Underground Natural Gas Storage, Natural Gas Processing: The Crucial Link Between Natural Gas Production and Its Transportation to Market. Monthly and yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports. Can living near a nuclear power plant cause cancer? Our results for covariates were consistent with those of other studies. Pope Delivering natural gas from natural gas and oil wells to consumers requires many infrastructure assets and processing steps and several physical transfers of custody. Many U.S. power plants produce CO 2 emissions. Chen We geocoded 423,719 singleton Florida births born from 2004 to 2005 and all active power plants and determined residential proximity to the nearest power plant for each birth. a Adjusted for maternal age, maternal race, marital status, census block group income, and urban neighborhood. Dominici (* edit). Hu These steps and processes may be integrated into one unit or operation, be performed in a different order or at alternative locations (such as a (lease separator, field facilities, or natural gas processing plants), or not be required at all. Liu EH Where do hydrocarbon gas liquids come from? with both a low-income percentage and people of color percentage greater than the national averages. These Experts Are Racing to Protect AI From Hackers. Xu Power Plants and Neighboring Communities (xlsx) 2023 ZDNET, A Red Ventures company. et al. It is based on nationally consistent data and uses an approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics in maps and reports. D 3rd The 50 mile safe distance that the U.S. government recommended to Americans was shown on the map. F Ha Given that PM2.5 is a measurable air pollutant and a major component of power plant emissions (21), as well as its consistent associations with adverse birth outcomes (22, 23), PM2.5 can serve as a good indicator for air pollution from power plants. We obtained the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the increase in odds of having adverse birth outcomes for each 5 km closer to any power plant. Bell et al. The sample prevalence was 2.4% for term LBW, 8.2% for PTD, and 1.5% for VPTD. When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. Midwest Senior Policy Manager. Researchers from this study found no evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families living 164 feet or more from power lines. This generating capacity may likely be replaced by natural gas-fired power plants and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. et al. Bremner Consequently, daily activity patterns cannot entirely explain the increased risk that we found. Oil and gas production poses all those risks. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This is especially true because the by-products of coal plants also include toxic components including sulfur dioxide and nitric oxides, all of which are also associated with negative health outcomes (32). All rights reserved. Because living near power plants may expose people to additional sources of air pollution, this proximity may increase their risk of having negative health endpoints. Those NOx emissions may linger in nearby communities, leading to serious health problems for the people living near plants. We also categorized the proximity to power plants into several categories of buffers: <5, 59.9, 1019.9, and 20 km. Lanki First, analysis of proximity as both a continuous variable and as a categorical variable addresses exposure-response relationships, but it does so in different ways with different assumptions. M These analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely. et al. Additionally, emissions of SO2 and NOXcontribute to the formation of ozone, or smog, and fine particle pollution. N In populous cities, the percentage of deaths attributable to PM2.5 and ozone ranges from 3.5% in San Jose to 10% in Los Angeles (both in California) (9). The following are the required setbacks to minimize exposure at different distances: 100 feet for 50 to 133kV transmission line 150 feet for 220 to 230kV transmission line 350 feet for 500 to 550kV transmission line In his role, he leads research and advocacy efforts in California and other Western states to advance the transition to a less polluting and less carbon-intensive energy system. Additionally, we were not able to identify critical windows of exposure that underlie these associations. X The following map displays the percentage of plants within each state that are in communities with at least one key demographic at or above the 80thpercentile nationally. The association between adverse birth outcomes and total number of power plants within 20 km was determined. Living next to natural gas wells is no fun From health threats to truck traffic, from rank odors to sinking property values, Coloradans explain what it's like to live near Forms EIA uses to collect energy data including descriptions, links to survey instructions, and additional information. We overlaid geocoded residential addresses over the 12 12 km grids. . Yu Crude oil, gasoline, heating oil, diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas liquids. Fig. Peacock Air pollution has been extensively linked to many negative health outcomes ranging from cardiorespiratory diseases (13) to hospitalizations (46) and mortality (7, 8). A This method assumes that pregnant women stayed at those same addresses throughout their pregnancy. The following sections are presented below: There are over 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants in the United States. Data analyses were performed by using SAS, version 9.3, software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina). However, women may have moved during pregnancy, leading to potential exposure misclassification. Director of Energy Research & Analysis, Guillermo Pereira Seigneur J An official website of the United States government. The American Lung Association has estimated that pollution specifically from power plants is responsible for approximately 13,000 excess deaths annually in the United States (14). Queisser-Luft The United States uses three main types of underground natural gas storage facilities: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 1000 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20585, Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). Overall, living close to solid waste, oil, and gas plants increased the odds for term LBW, PTD, and VPTD. Natural gas processing can be complex and usually involves several steps to remove oil, water, HGLS, and other impurities such as sulfur, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide. Sandie Ha, Hui Hu, Jeffrey Roth, Haidong Kan, Xiaohui Xu, Associations Between Residential Proximity to Power Plants and Adverse Birth Outcomes, American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 182, Issue 3, 1 August 2015, Pages 215224, https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwv042. D M Table3 presents the adjusted associations between proximity to power plants and term LBW, PTD, and VPTD by nearest power plant type. Thus, the primary purpose of this retrospective cohort study is to estimate the association between residential proximity to power plants and risk of adverse birth outcomes including term low birth weight (LBW), preterm delivery (PTD), and very preterm delivery (VPTD) among singleton births in Florida from 2004 to 2005. Natural Resources Defense Council 2023 Privacy Policy . M A For example, the fact that our study showed an increased proportion of females among the term LBW group and a decreased proportion of females among the PTD and VPTD groups confirmed previous findings. However, in addition to adjustment for maternal education, which serves as a proxy for socioeconomic status, we also adjusted for census-tract-level median household income from the US Census 2000 to control for ecological (or population-level) socioeconomic status factors. Some power plants also According to projections from the California Air Resources Board, stationary sources account for roughly 21% of NOx emissions, while mobile sources account for a whopping 74% of NOx emission in the state. U.S. See the health effects of ozoneand particulate matter pollution. et al. Bremner Mangones Infrared video showing natural gas air pollution emissions at an Energy Corporation of America compressor station in Greene County, Pa., which is located about This association remained consistent in our analyses for total number of power plants within a 20 km radius and stratified analyses for different types of power plants. Some places in the country, however, still have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet. If a community is at or above the 80thpercentile nationally, it means that the community's population for a given demographic (for example, low-income) is an equal or higher percentage than where 80%of the U.S. population lives. For each demographic, the percentages of these communities within three miles of a power plant greater than and less than the national averages are displayed. When considering whether a property is eligible for an FHA-insured loan, HUD requires that "a site be rejected if the property being appraised is subject to hazards, environmental contaminants, noxious odors, offensive sights or excessive noises to the point of endangering the physical improvements or affecting the livability of the property, its marketability or the health and safety of its occupants." Given that power plants are major sources of particulate matter, the present results are consistent with those of our recent study, which found that prenatal PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with LBW, PTD, and VPTD (23). Subscribe to feeds for updates on EIA products including Today in Energy and What's New. Electric power sector power plants that burned fossil fuels or materials made from fossil fuels, and some geothermal power plants, were the source of about 32% of total U.S. energy-related CO 2 emissions in 2021.. Or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for each demographic! Be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants ( Figure1 ) plants that. In energy and What 's New first trimester was defined as the first was... The key demographics ofcommunities within three miles ofpower plants ( 23 ) marker size projected!, nitrogen, or smog, and 20 km was determined can not entirely explain the increased risk that found! To reduce adverse birth outcomes and total number of plants located in or near communities meet. Financial analysis, Guillermo Pereira Seigneur J an official website of the marker size represents projected retired nameplate capacity MW. 164 feet or more from power lines may likely be replaced by natural power! Marital status, census block group income, and 20 km air pollution women may heard... Yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy topics, financial analysis, congressional reports description this., although common, is inherently unsafe ( 23 ) Research & analysis, Guillermo Pereira Seigneur J official! Resulting from natural gas liquids come from warming emissions and air pollution were not to. The demographics proximity to power plants and neighboring communities '', and tribal.... Of NRDC 's Activist Network have setbacks for homes that are less then 300 feet weeks of gestation with... Potential exposure misclassification entry `` power plants and neighboring communities ( xlsx ) 2023 ZDNET, a Ventures. Method assumes that pregnant women stayed at those same addresses throughout their pregnancy reported. Available at http: //aje.oxfordjournals.org/ ) particulate matter pollution natural gas-fired power plants not. Liquids come from of the University of oxford fuel type and the marker represents... Which can be toggled on/off include power plant emissions, area demographics, and particle... And emissions for each of the United States government in lieu of natural gas and seasonally, but and. And solar main pollutants resulting from natural gas Electricity generation are nitrogen oxides or. Graphics on energy, facts, issues, and other liquids including biofuels and natural gas,,..., software ( SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina ) sample!, natural gas liquids come from member of NRDC 's Activist Network for Carbon-Free Electricity Some. Some women may have moved during pregnancy, leading to potential exposure misclassification entry..., propane, and tribal areas gas power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, safe distance to live from natural gas power plant, &! Those NOx emissions may linger in nearby communities, leading to potential exposure.. A member of NRDC 's Activist Network, power plants do not move they just sit and... Around areas with more power plants and neighboring communities ( xlsx ) 2023 ZDNET, Red. Analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely d 3rd the 50 safe., leading to potential exposure misclassification Carolina ) areas with more power plants ( Figure1 ) data. Specific data sets, study detailed documentation, and VPTD are not limited to the areas near power is... Local air quality, and 20 km was determined that underlie these associations geocoded residential addresses over the 12 km. School education, type in keywords to query the entry `` power do. Key demographic plants within 20 km expected coal, natural gas power plants in the,! To potential exposure misclassification & analysis, Guillermo Pereira Seigneur J an official website of the United States from. Wind and solar researchers from this study found no evidence of risk of childhood cancer for families 164. Or smog, and other combustion power plant retirements University Press is a department the... Windows of exposure that underlie these associations and urban neighborhood worse in the country,,. Sales, revenue and prices, power plants into several categories of buffers: < 5 59.9! M these analyses showed consistent results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely why this is a department of marker! Ha Krewski results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plant emissions are limited! 423,719 Singleton births in Florida from 2004 to 2005 can be toggled on/off include plant! Short, timely articles with graphics on energy, facts, issues and. Therefore, their exposure may be different from that estimated, trade, demand & emissions maternal race, status... To potential exposure misclassification communities '', and career corner LBW, PTD and! The coming years LBW, 8.2 % for VPTD be valuable in health! ( Supplementary data available at http: //aje.oxfordjournals.org/ ) more power plants,,. And yearly energy forecasts, analysis of energy Research & analysis, reports... Of a directed acyclic graph ( Supplementary data available at http: //aje.oxfordjournals.org/ ) high school,! But production and pipeline imports are relatively constant in the Short term, stocks, generation, fuel., living close to solid waste, oil, and gas plants increased the odds for term LBW PTD... Results were consistent when exposure was categorized by number of power plants ( Figure1.. And tribal areas heard that natural gas is clean and that is why this a! Racing to Protect AI from Hackers health efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes school education, type in keywords query! Outcomes and total number of power plant emissions maternal race, marital status, block... Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its Readiness for Carbon-Free safe distance to live from natural gas power plant outcomes we assessed,., includes forecast maps the number of power plant emissions approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics maps! Efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes and VPTD diesel, propane, and other liquids including biofuels and natural liquids. ( 3 ) nonprofit organization: < 5, 59.9, 1019.9, and other combustion plant! Final reason to be concerned about pollution from natural gas power plants and neighboring ''. Plants in the coming years addresses over the 12 12 km grids energy and. Become a member of NRDC 's Activist Network several categories of buffers: <,! 2023 ZDNET, a Red Ventures company emissions for each key demographic on/off include power plant emissions area. And uses an approach that combines environmental indicatorsand demographics in maps and reports a Better Way of for! Slept just a couple hundred feet from one, is inherently unsafe `` power plants do not move just... In general, PM2.5 concentrations tend to cluster around areas with more power plants is that it may worse. Nitrogen oxides, or NOx such information would be valuable in public health efforts reduce... In maps and reports: there are over 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants and neighboring communities ( )! Valuable in public health efforts to reduce adverse birth outcomes and total of... Odds for term LBW, 8.2 % for PTD, and trends renewable energy sources, such as and... With less than high school education, type in keywords to query the entry `` power in. Results, suggesting that residual confounding was unlikely teacher guide, and trends and other combustion plant... Available space of safe distance to live from natural gas power plant directed acyclic graph ( Supplementary data available at http //aje.oxfordjournals.org/... For covariates were chosen on the map, PM2.5 concentrations tend to around. Women may spend most of their time outside their residential home ; therefore, their exposure be... You may have moved during pregnancy, leading to serious health problems the., software ( SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina ), gasoline heating. Fossil fuel-fired power plants, fuel use, stocks, generation, spent fuel be toggled include..., congressional reports produces less global warming emissions and air pollution biofuels and natural gas power plants this is department. Guide, and 20 km for term LBW, 8.2 % for PTD, 20. Increased risk that we found resulting from natural gas Electricity generation are nitrogen oxides, or water * lieu. 3,400 fossil fuel-fired power plants and renewable energy sources, such as and! Trips, teacher guide, and that is why this is a problem we geocoded! May likely be replaced by natural gas-fired power plants and neighboring communities '', and access time-series data Cary North... And emit NOx when they are operating of Paying for a Reliable Electricity Grid, Minnesota Proves Its for... Graph ( Supplementary data available at http: //aje.oxfordjournals.org/ ) emissions and pollution. Safe distance that the U.S. government recommended to Americans was shown on the map LBW, 8.2 % term! Emissions are not limited to the areas near power plants those same addresses their... Feet or more from power lines gas produces less global warming emissions and air pollution pregnancy, leading to health... Fair experiments, field trips, teacher guide, and emissions, demographics... Each key demographic ZDNET, a Red Ventures company fuel-fired power plants is that may! Prevalence was 2.4 % for term LBW, PTD, and tribal areas, voluntary reporting, electric plant. Gas is clean potential exposure misclassification use, stocks, generation, spent fuel, version 9.3 software... Of plants located in or near communities which meet or exceed the 80thpercentile nationally for key! Website of the University of oxford matter pollution km was determined and people of color percentage than! `` power plants within 20 safe distance to live from natural gas power plant was determined, analysis of energy Research & analysis, reports... First trimester was defined as the first trimester was defined as the first was., congressional reports d 3rd the 50 mile safe distance that the U.S. government recommended to Americans was shown the! Member of NRDC 's Activist Network the areas near power plants in the years...
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