One of the obstacles in the way of expanding Gary/Chicago International Airport is a big one -- Mitchell Generating Station. It needs to go.

The power plant sits near the Lake Michigan shoreline. Extending the cross-wind runway to make the airport more functional requires removing the power plant.

NIPSCO mothballed the plant in January 2002, saying the poor economy and the steel industry doldrums made the plant no longer necessary.

Since then, the steel industry has not just gotten back on its feet again but is running at a fast pace. Some of NIPSCO's industrial customers have argued for preserving the plant.

NIPSCO does need to increase its capacity. But restarting the coal-fired plant is inadvisable, and not just because of its proximity to the airport.

Global warming has its critics, but consensus is growing rapidly that the theory is well founded. Weather patterns are changing, glaciers are disappearing, and the polar ice caps are shrinking.

Beyond that, the region's air quality is already poor enough to require substantial remediation efforts. Mercury from coal-fired power plants is also blamed in water pollution and contributes to the number of advisories urging sport fishermen to cut back on their consumption of fish in those contaminated lakes and streams.

Restarting a coal-fired power plant, pushing more smoke into the air, is a poor choice.

The push is on for alternative energy sources, ones that are more environmentally friendly. That's why NIPSCO is taking such a big step into wind power and has bought the Sugar Creek natural gas-fired power plant near Terre Haute.

In 2006, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission rejected NIPSCO's plan to tear down the Mitchell plant and give the land to Gary. Last month, a lengthy filing with the IURC included a renewed proposal to jettison the plant.

The IURC should see the wisdom of tearing down the plant both because it impedes the airport expansion and because it is an environmental dinosaur that would seriously worsen the air quality in Northwest Indiana.

Residents and the communities in Northwest Indiana should also see the wisdom of tearing down the plant. Its time has come and gone.