With A US Election Coming: More Of That Please!
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 5.07
"East Kentucky Power Cooperative will pay a $750,000 fine and spend more than $650 million on pollution controls as part of a settlement announced yesterday to end a 2004 lawsuit by the federal government. The suit alleged that East Kentucky Power modified its Spurlock and Dale electric-generating plants without getting the proper permits or installing new technology. The result, the government said in the initial suit, was the emission of "massive amounts" of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides and particulate matter into the air. Those three types of pollutants are linked to smog, acid rain and lung problems, respectively. In settling the case, East Kentucky Power admits no wrongdoing and stated it was only doing so "solely to avoid the costs and uncertainties of litigation and to improve the environment," according to the settlement, which has been filed in U.S. District Court in Lexington. The settlement still has to be approved by the court, and there is a 30-day window for public comment." Plenty more where that came from. See the Environmental Integrity Project, for a list of the 50 dirtiest power plants in the USA. Via:: Knight Ridder Tribune Image credit: Spurlock Power Station, East Kentucky Power Cooperative
