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1.4.3.2 Environmental Effects of Fossil Fuel Use <br />The primary fossil fuel used for power generation in Nebraska is coal (Table 1 -2). Coal - <br />fired generation accounts for about 60 percent of Nebraska's electricity production, and the <br />Nebraska Power Association forecasts the need for an additional 1,200 megawatts of coal - <br />fired powerplant capacity over the next 20 years.' -' The burning of coal is associated with <br />Table 1 -2. 1991 Nebraska electricity generation by fuel type (source: NPA, 1990). <br />Fuel Type Gigawatt-hours Percent of Total <br />Coal <br />12,245 <br />60.0 <br />Uranium <br />5,532 <br />27.1 <br />Hydroelectric <br />2,496 <br />12.2 <br />Gas /oil <br />141 <br />0.7 <br />air pollutant emissions that contribute to adverse environmental effects, including acid rain, <br />global warming (the greenhouse effect), and depletion of the ozone layer. <br />Given the prominent existing and likely future role of coal -fired generation in Nebraska, the <br />hydroelectric generation provided by the projects can contribute to reducing atmospheric <br />pollutants associated with the combustion of fossil fuel. <br />1.4.4 Recreational Opportunities <br />To continue to provide extensive recreational resources in the project area is a principal <br />resource consideration because the project canals and impoundments constitute a significant <br />portion of the recreational resources within Nebraska. The recreational resource offered by <br />Lake McConaughy, in particular, is regionally recognized for its high quality, water -based <br />recreational attributes and setting. The project's water and land areas offer a wide range of <br />year -round recreational opportunities. The recreational facilities located on project <br />shorelines are used extensively by visitors from Nebraska and other states. The high <br />recreational use of project facilities also greatly benefits the economies of the counties and <br />cities within the project area. <br />Based upon recreational visitation figures from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission <br />(NGPC), three of the project impoundments (Lake McConaughy, Lake Maloney, and <br />Johnson Lake) have received 13 to 15 percent of the total annual visitation to all NGPC park <br />facilities throughout Nebraska. Lake McConaughy has received approximately 600,000 to <br />720,000 visitors annually over the last five years. NGPC estimates that up to 74 percent of <br />the visitors to Lake McConaughy originate from states other than Nebraska, with the <br />majority coming from nearby Colorado. Lake McConaughy has over 105 miles of shoreline <br />2/ Nebraska Power Association, Statewide Resource and Transmission Planning Study 1991 -2010, 1990 <br />1 -8 <br />