State Extends Waste Coal Power Plant Permit

By The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Jul. 1–Air quality plan approval for a controversial waste coal-fired power plant proposed for Greene County has been extended, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced today.

Wellington Development LLC originally gained approval for the 525-megawatt plant in Cumberland Township three years ago. Two environmental groups and two individuals appealed the decision to the state Commonwealth Court, which upheld the approval in 2007.

Deep’s extension does not change the existing air quality plan. Wellington has not started major construction on the plant at the old LTV Steel site along the Monongahela River.

The plant would be fueled by 3.1 million tons of waste coal annually taken from the Nemacolin, Isabella, Daisytown and Hawkins coal refuse piles in Washington, Fayette and Green counties. This would help alleviate pollution from the coal piles into streams.

However, burning the waste coal would create air pollution and the Group Against Smog and Pollution in Squirrel Hill wants the air pollution control technology approved for the plant three years ago to be updated to reflect newer, better ways to reduce pollution.

The group is evaluating their legal options, said GASP’s attorney Michael Parker.

“Our bottom line is … in the process of granting this permit extension, DEP really should have afforded a public notice and comment period and should have done a re-analysis of their air pollution control technology,” Parker said.

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