Coordinates: 38°52′58.35″N 77°0′27.06″W / 38.8828750°N 77.0075167°W / 38.8828750; -77.0075167

The Capitol Power Plant in 2011, from the Architect of the Capitol

A Capitol Power Plant employee inspecting the equipment, from the Architect of the Capitol

The Capitol Power Plant at the turn of the 20th century.

The Capitol Power Plant is a fossil-fuel burning power plant which provides steam and cooled water for the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and 19 other buildings in the Capitol Complex. Located 25 East St SE in southeast Washington, D.C., it is the only coal-burning power plant in the District of Columbia.^[1] The plant has been serving the Capitol since 1910, and is under the administration of the Architect of the Capitol (see 2 U.S.C. § 2162). Though it was originally built to supply the Capitol complex with electricity as well, the plant has not produced electricity for the Capitol since 1952.^[1] Electricity generation is now handled by the same power grid and local electrical utility (PEPCO) that serves the rest of metropolitan Washington.^[2]

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the facility released 118,851 tons of carbon dioxide in 2007.^[3]

History [edit]

The power plant was constructed under the terms of an act of Congress passed on 28 April 1904, authorized in order to support two new office buildings that were then being planned. Now known as the Cannon House Office Building and the Russell Senate Office Building, these new offices required a substantial increase in energy to Capitol Hill. In addition, the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress would also receive power from the new plant, along with all future buildings to be constructed on the Capitol campus. ^[2]

Originally called the "Heating, Lighting, and Power Plant," the Capitol Power Plant was one of the earliest 25-cycle alternating current electric-generating facilities in the United States. The original steam boilers were replaced in 1923. In 1950, the steam boilers were modernized and replaced with coal-fired steam generators; at the same time, the plant's electricity generating capacity had reached its limit, and it was decided to abandon electricity production in favor of the local electrical utility. Expansion of the plant to support additional new construction was authorized in 1958, 1970, and in the early 21st century to support the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center.^[2]

Controversy [edit]

Senators from coal mining states blocked a proposal in 2000 to use cleaner fuel for the plant. Senators Mitch McConnell (Republican of Kentucky) and Robert Byrd (Democrat of West Virginia), both from coal mining states, used their influence as two of the Senate's most senior members to block this proposal. In May 2007, CNN reported that two companies, International Resources Inc. and the Kanawha Eagle mine, have a contract to supply a combined 40,000 tons of coal to the plant over the next two years. The companies have given a combined $26,300 to the McConnell and Byrd campaigns for the 2006 election.^[4]

In June 2007, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced the "Greening the Capitol" initiative.^[5] The initiative's goal is to make the Capitol carbon neutral, and the power plant is a major obstacle to achieving this objective.^[4] In November 2007, Daniel Beard, the House's Chief Administrative Officer, announced that he would purchase $89,000 worth of carbon offsets for 30,000 tons of carbon emissions. Beard made the purchase from the Chicago Climate Exchange.^[6] On February 28, 2009, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent a letter to the Architect of the Capitol asking him to create a plan to switch the power plant entirely to natural gas by the end of 2009.^[7] This letter came just three days before a March 2009 scheduled protest (which happened despite the change).^[8]

Emissions [edit]

Table 1: Summary of Point Source Emissions: District of Columbia in 2002 (Tons)^[9]

Particulates [edit]

For a plant its size (roughly 1/100th the size of the typical 500 MW power plant), the Capitol Power Plant produces a remarkably high quantity of the type of particulate matter (PM2.5) most closely associated with human health effects. As shown in Table 1, in 2002, the plant emitted a full 65 percent of the PM2.5 emitted in the District of Columbia.

Particle pollution, also called particulate matter or PM, is one of six "criteria pollutants" (PM, lead, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and ozone) regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. PM is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets in the air. When breathed in, these particles can reach the deepest regions of the lungs. Exposure to particle pollution is linked to a variety of significant health problems, ranging from aggravated asthma to premature death in people with heart and lung disease. Particle pollution also is the main cause of visibility impairment in the nation’s cities and national parks.^[10] Fine particles (PM2.5) are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller; and inhaleable coarse particles (PM10) are smaller than 10 micrometers and larger than 2.5 micrometers.^[10]

In 2006, EPA tightened the 24-hour fine particle standard from 65 micrograms per cubic meter to 35 micrograms per cubic meter, while leaving the annual fine particle unchanged. EPA retained the annual fine particle standard at 15 micrograms per cubic meter. EPA retained the pre-existing 24-hour PM10 standard of 150 micrograms per cubic meter. Due to a lack of evidence linking health problems to long-term exposure to coarse particle pollution, the Agency revoke the annual PM10 standard.^[10]

Even before the EPA tightened the fine particular standard, Washington, D.C., was a "non-attainment" area.^[11]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Capitol Complex Overview, Architect of the Capitol
• 2 U.S.C. § 2162, Statute for the Capitol Power Plant via the Cornell Law School