Environmental group asks judge to stop Duke Energy project
The SELC has been involved in the fight against Cliffside on behalf of numerous environmental groups.
These groups, including the Canary Coalition of Western North Carolina, have attempted to stop construction on the state level. The SELC filed its lawsuit with the court in Asheville late Wednesday night, noting that a federal judge can issue an immediate stop work order, while state processes can take months.
Environmentalists say that Cliffside’s controls, which will capture some 90% of the mercury it produces, could and should be improved, as mercury from other sources has already contaminated rivers and fish across Eastern North Carolina.
From the Charlotte Observer:
The Cliffside project had bypassed an early federal review of its mercury controls because the Bush administration had exempted coal-fired power plants from the Clean Air Act. But a federal appeals court ruling in February struck down the exemption. Cliffside already had received its state air quality permit, only days earlier, on Jan. 29.
Read the Observer’s full story here.
Read the SELC’s release here.
Read about the Canary Coalition’s efforts here.
Tags: Charlotte Observer
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