Council Sues PA DEP Over Expired Coal Permits

On April 6, 2012, the Clean Air Council joined Sierra Club and PennEnvironment, represented by Earthjustice, in bringing an appeal before the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board  against the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for its failure to take action on nine Title V renewal applications for coal-fired power plants across the state.

Title V permits collect all requirements applicable to the air pollution source in a single document that can be enforced by government and citizens alike, and are an invaluable tool for citizens seeking to understand plant operations and regulatory requirements that protect public health.Title V permits are generally valid for five years at which point they must be renewed to incorporate any new regulatory requirements that have become applicable. These renewals are essential to ensure that major sources of pollution are subject to up-to-date pollution control standards and the monitoring requirements necessary to verify compliance with those standards. PA DEP has 18 months to act on a Title V renewal application and is long overdue in taking action on these applications. The Council and its co-appellants are seeking to force PA DEP to take action on these applications.

The permits in this appeal are associated with the following power plants:

1. AES Beaver Valley Plant, Monaca, Beaver County
2. Armstrong Power Station, Washington Twp., Armstrong County
3. Bruce Mansfield Power Station, Shippingport, Beaver County
4. Elrama Power Plant, Union Twp., Washington County

Follow the case here: http://ehb.courtapps.com/public/document_shower_pub.php?csNameID=4446

The notice of appeal is attached below.

Feel free to contact Jay Duffy (jduffy@cleanair.org) with any questions.