Twenty premature deaths a year.

That's what Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment estimates it would cost Salt Lake and Davis counties in human terms if the state goes forward with plans to approve a new power plant adjacent to the Holly Refinery in West Bountiful.

"When is enough enough?" asked North Salt Lake resident Crystal Folgmann, one of the area residents mobilizing neighbors against the plant.

"I'm appalled the state seems to permit [polluting plants] like a driver's license," she added. "They don't seem to see the bigger picture."

To locals, that's children and adults gasping for clean air and suffering a plague of respiratory ills.

Consolidated Energy Systems LLC did not return a call seeking comment on Monday. But state files show that the company plans to build a 109 megawatt power plant at 400 S. 1100 West that would be fueled by waste petroleum -- called "petcoke" -- from the nearby Holly Corp. oil refinery.

John Jenks, the engineer who has been discussing the application with the company since initial plans were submitted in August 2007, described "a pretty robust control strategy" that fully complies with state pollution standards. He said the company is proposing a five-stage pollution cleanup system to make use of a nontraditional, dirty fuel and state regulators have added an additional requirement for monitoring to make sure the system performs as promised.

"In the end," said Ty Howard, who oversees state Division of Air Quality's permitting section, "it's what's coming out in the atmosphere that should matter."

And the emissions, according to the state's review, will comply with state law and allow the state to comply with federal law.

The division is taking public comments on the plan through Jan. 15. It also plans a public hearing on the matter Jan. 13.

"We can't give any type of approval until we have heard all of the public comment," said Howard.

On Thursday, the doctor's group will host an educational forum of its own.

"It's designed to arm people with some meaningful information so they can ask appropriate questions of DAQ," said Brian Moench, founder of the doctors' group.

The plant would pump about 1 million pounds of pollutants into the air each year, including about 20,000 pounds of hazardous pollutants, such as lead and mercury, said Moench.

Just looking at the fine-particle pollution predicted from the plant -- and not other types of pollutants -- would lead to an estimated 20 premature deaths a year, he said.

"I hope we can get this plant stopped with grass-roots pressure."

Folgmann, a mother of three, is one of the locals who plans to be at both the state's public hearing next week and the community meeting on Thursday.

"It's the citizens' way to have a voice," she said, "if you want to breathe in Davis County."

fahys@sltrib.com