Group files suit over power plant pollution

In this mention

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy joined seven other environmental groups in filing legal action against the EPA over a new clean air rule that they believe allows old coal-fired power plants to operate with replacement parts instead of equipment required of newer plants. The TVA stated the rule change would not significantly affect its maintenance practices at its 11 coal-fired plants or its $2.6 billion pollution-control spending plan through 2010.

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Group files
suit over
power plant
pollution

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KNOXVILLE — Hoping to
enforce stiffer pollution controls
already required of newer power
plants, the Southern Alliance for
Clean Energy was among eight
environmental groups that filed
legal action Tuesday against the
Environmental Protection
Agency.

The Knoxville-based organi-
zation and others believe the
EPA's new clean air rule allows
old, coal-fired power plants to
operate with replacement parts
instead of using equipment
required of new power plants.
The EPA said the rule change
would not cause "any significant
changes in emissions."

The Tennessee Valley Author-
ity said the new rule likely would
not affect how it performs regu-
lar maintenance at its 11 coal-fired
power plants that average being
nearly a half-century old. It also
will not change TVA's plans to
spend $2.6 billion by 2010 on pol-
lution controls on its coal plants,
said John Shipp, manager of envi-
ronmental policy.

That money is in addition to
average spending of about $1 mil-
lion a day to reduce air pollu-
tion, he said.

"We will meet the federal
clean air laws" as future pollu-
tion-reduction deadlines appear,
Shipp told The Knoxville News
Sentinel.