PennFuture, EIP Reach Settlement with Allegheny Energy Stopping Massive Air Pollution from Hatfield's Ferry Power Plant

    PITTSBURGH, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future
 (PennFuture), with the support of the Environmental Integrity Project
 (EIP), today announced that they had reached an agreement with Allegheny
 Energy to stop massive air pollution violations at its Hatfield's Ferry
 plant in Greene County, Pennsylvania. The agreement calls for immediate
 action to reduce soot pollution and long-term reductions that will result
 from the installation of scrubbers. Because the Hatfield's Ferry plant is
 one of the largest sources of particulate pollution in the state and the
 nation's fourth largest source of dangerous sulfur dioxide pollution, this
 one agreement will mean 200 fewer premature deaths and savings of $1.2
 billion in health care costs annually.
     "I am absolutely thrilled that this is the last summer when I have to
 keep my grandchildren inside to protect their lungs from this dangerous
 soot," said Charlotte O'Rourke, local resident and plaintiff in the
 PennFuture case. "Before the lawsuit, this plant polluted the air with soot
 six out of seven days, making life unbearable. I was reluctant to sue, but
 now I am glad that my neighbors and friends will finally have relief."
     "This agreement will not only improve the health of local families, it
 will also make the area much more attractive to new residents and
 industries," said Charles McPhedran, senior attorney for PennFuture. "The
 clean-up will also mean new local jobs, as workers install and operate the
 modern pollution controls. PennFuture is proud that our work will make such
 a positive difference in the lives of the local residents."
     "This is a great result, and EIP was proud to work with PennFuture and
 Charlotte O'Rourke to help make it happen," said EIP Director Eric
 Schaeffer. "Allegheny's willingness to make a big investment in scrubbing
 this plant was the key to resolving our lawsuit."
     PennFuture is a statewide public interest membership organization that
 advances policies to protect and improve the state's environment and
 economy. PennFuture's activities include litigating cases before regulatory
 bodies and in local, state and federal courts, advocating and advancing
 legislative action on a state and federal level, public education and
 assisting citizens in public advocacy.
     The Environmental Integrity Project
 (http://www.environmentalintegrity.org) is a non-profit non-partisan
 organization dedicated to stronger enforcement of existing federal and
 state anti-pollution laws, and to the prevention of political interference
 with those laws. EIP's research and reports shed light on how enforcement
 and rulemaking affect public health. EIP also works closely with
 communities seeking enforcement of environmental laws.
     A fact sheet on the settlement is available online at
 www.pennfuture.org.
 
 

SOURCE Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture)