Environmental Commitment

Community Question

Is Mirant committed to the environment in the Mid-Atlantic region?

Yes. In fact, Mirant Mid-Atlantic has actively created partnerships with state and local government and various environmental organizations, as well as invested in equipment and processes that minimize plant impacts to the environment. We:

Instituted a Stormwater Pollution Prevention program;
Installed Geiger MultiDisc water intake screens that reduce debris brought into the plant and gently returns fish to the river; it was the first such system installed in the United States;
Are actively involved in the Oyster Recovery Partnership;
Created an on-site Wildlife Management Program in 1998 that has preserved greenspace and installed nesting structures for various bird species. Potomac River’s program is one of only 374 programs across the world to achieve commendation and certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council.

For a copy of Mirant's Environmental Policy, or questions about its environmental stewardship, please send an e-mail to Mirant’s community outreach mailbox.

As citizens in the communities in which we live and work, we have a strong interest in the quality of the local environment. Our Environmental Management System guides our operations — ensuring regulatory compliance, accountability, continuous improvement, communications transparency, employee involvement and sufficient commitment of resources toward environmental goals.

In September 2006, the Potomac River Generating Station earned ISO 14001:2004 certification for our Environmental Management System, the first such certification for Potomac River. In simple terms, this certification means we’re “doing it right” in our approach to sound environmental management, following an internationally endorsed framework of standards. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is the world's largest developer of standards.

Only a small percentage of industrial and corporate facilities in the United States have earned this distinction — and we are proud to be among them.

ISO 14001 takes into account the facility's environmental aspects relative to its operations, processes, products and location. This includes possible effects on the surrounding community and other stakeholders. Being certified means you have identified the environmental aspects of your operations and are continually working to minimize negative effects.

The process of becoming certified is rigorous — and it’s never really over. Once a facility has been deemed worthy of the ISO 14001 banner, it must be audited annually to maintain the certification. It must also prove that it has successfully met its improvement goals from year to year.