LABADIE, Mo. — A power plant outside St. Louis was the nation's second-highest emitter of air pollutants for the fourth year in a row, according to a recently released Environmental Protection Agency report.
Ameren Missouri's Labadie Energy Center had the second-highest amount of carbon dioxide emissions and the 20th-highest amount of nitrous oxide emissions in the EPA's 2023 Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data. The emissions are two of the major gases NASA says contribute to the greenhouse effect and worsen climate change across the Earth.
Labadie was also the nation's top emitter of sulfur dioxide, a harmful air pollutant, and was one of the reasons the Sierra Club labeled the plant as the second deadliest power plant in the nation in its "Out of Control: The Deadly Impact of Coal Plant Pollution."
5 On Your Side requested comment from Ameren Friday morning regarding the data. A utility spokesman said they did not have enough time to respond to the EPA's report before the article's publication by the end of the day. The company provided its own emission numbers, saying its emissions "fleet-wide" are reducing and are below EPA standards.
5 On Your Side was given the following internal data by Ameren regarding its fleet-wide emissions:
- carbon dioxide reduced by 37%
- nitrous oxide reduced by 58%
- sulfur oxide reduced by 69%
- All data is through 2023 and represents a three-year average (2021-2023) from 2005 levels.
"Ameren’s Labadie power plant was built in 1970, a time when most doctors could still smoke in the operating room and rivers made national headlines for catching fire," said Jenn DeRose, the campaign organizer of Missouri Beyond Coal, a Sierra Club program seeking to replace fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy. "So when folks hear that this plant lacks all modern pollution controls, they should know that we’re not just talking about meeting goals or adhering to regulations on paper. Pollution controls save lives. The fact that Ameren is too cheap to meet industry safety standards demonstrates clearly that this utility’s executives care more about profits than the people they serve."
Ameren Missouri's Director of Environmental Services Craig Giesmann provided the following statement to 5 On Your Side:
"All of us rely on the affordable, reliable energy our diverse mix of energy centers generate every day. The Labadie Energy Center is a key part of that mix that provides energy to our homes and businesses around the clock and in all weather conditions.
"We care a great deal about the environment and embrace our responsibility to be good environmental stewards for our customers and the communities we serve. Emissions continue to drop significantly.
"Thoughtfully integrating new sources of energy, including solar, and maintaining the availability of our existing energy centers through retirement is essential for a reliable, resilient and affordable clean energy future."
Recent changes to national emissions standards could cause Ameren to make changes or other tough decisions at Labadie in the near future, similar to the decision the utility recently made at its Rush Island Energy Center.
In April, the EPA announced new rules that included stricter limits on PM2.5 pollution from power plants, including Labadie. PM2.5s are small particles known to worsen lung, heart and neurological conditions. The plant's particle emissions fell under the EPA's previous emissions limit, but would have exceeded the new EPA limits, according to Missouri Public Service Commission documents.
As the chart below shows, the emissions from the plant from 2016-2019 would have exceeded the new limits, which are illustrated in the "EPA Base Proposal" line.
