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July 10, 2005
Feds, States Sue American Electric Power Over Coal Burning Plants
by William Paine
Bluefield News Network Writer
Bluefield, VA (BNN) - The Federal government along with Maryland, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire Rhode Island and Massachusetts, has sued American Electric Power(AEP) for failing to cut emissions at nine of its coal burning power plants.
AEP operates four power plants in West Virginia along the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers and one in Virginia along the Clinch River. The suit contends that, to be in compliance with the Clean Air Act, AEP was obliged to install pollution control devices when modifications were made at the nine power plants. AEP claims that only routine maintenance operations were performed at the plants and not major modifications. This would exempt AEP from installing costly pollution control devices.
As a result, plants in West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio and Indiana continue to expel high levels of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and soot, which produce acid rain and smog downwind. The government contends that these pollutants cause asthma, bronchitis and a number of other respiratory problems.
American Electric Power is the number one provider of electricity in West Virginia and in southwest Virginia.
