Greg Bowers wants the residents of Washington State to breathe easier. For years he’s fought to eliminate the lethal air pollution produced by a coal-burning power plant 65 miles south of Seattle. The aging facility was built before 1977, exempting it from modern clean air standards. An official with a pollution control agency once called it, “the state’s single biggest source of air pollution.” According to Bowers, both the EPA and even the company running the plant admit, “there’s likely no safe level” for the particulate matter discharged by the twin smoke stacks.

Bowers, an independent consulting engineer with 20 years of experience in electrical power planning, began his crusade back in 1995 when he calculated that 400 people a year--mostly people with sensitive cardiac or pulmonary systems—were being killed annually by the long-term impact of the plant. He worked relentlessly, confronting the utilities that owned the plant, testifying at corporate board meetings, and meeting with county officials. He used his own money to sue both the company running the plant and the regulatory body that issued a permit allowing the release of 55,000 tons of sulfur dioxide annually. Bowers’ litigation drove a five-fold reduction to 10,000 tons per year by 2003. This victory alone will save countless lives, but Bowers fights on to reduce the pollution even more.

Bowers has paid a heavy price for his cause. He’s neglected his own business, focusing his energy full-time on contacting elected officials, environmental groups, and public utilities. He had sold his house to buy another, but instead spent the money on living expenses and attorneys. He’s gone through most of his retirement savings. He can’t apply for a job with many of the organizations that would need his skills, since he’s probably sued them.

But Bowers carries on, insisting that industries that intentionally cause death must be forced to consider the true costs of their behavior.