A grassroots

coalition is claiming that Atlanta's air, including Fayette County's,

is getting dirtier because of the region's power plants.

Clean Up Southern

Company, a group with more than 130 members, released a report Thursday,

saying the power plants in Georgia are becoming "dramatically dirtier."

The report,

"Darkening Skies: Trends Towards Increasing Power Plant Emissions"

that Georgia is one of the worst states when it comes to power plant emissions.

"Emissions

of smog-forming nitrogen oxides are up a staggering 12,399 tons from 1995,"

said Roger Smith, coordinator of the group.

According to

the group's report, hundreds of power plants emit more pollution today

and Fayette County is not meeting the 1997 ozone standard because of nearby

Plant Yates in Coweta County.

The report

said the Yates plant had the greatest increase in sulfur dioxide pollution

in the state, with more than 24,000 tons in the last four years.

Yates is also

taken to task for having one of the highest nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide

emission increases.

"This

report highlights our nation's dirty and dangerous dependence on coal,"

said Stephanie Bonin, Clean Energy Organizer of Georgia Public Interest

Research Group. "We are relying on outdated technology while the

alternatives and solutions of renewable power are effective and obtainable."

One of the

reports final findings is the absence of mandatory limits on carbon dioxide

has resulted in a sharp rise in total emissions of the gas, which forms

a heat-trapping blanket in the atmosphere that leads to global warming.

But Southern

Company spokesperson Tiffany Gilstrap believes the group is being very

"selective" in interpreting the data.

"Based

on the report we saw, emissions are down significantly from 1990. They're

being selective in using a baseline of 1995 for a lot of their conclusions,"

she said.