Critics urge Missouri to block Ameren’s remediation plan | State News

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ST. LOUIS Environmental lawyers and activists urge state regulators to block wastewater proposal for Amerens’ largest coal-fired power plant, saying it could threaten endangered pale sturgeon and other species who live in the Missouri River.

The wastewater permit proposed to the Department of Natural Resources eases previous requirements. Critics say this would allow the plant to release hot water illegally and fail to take appropriate action to regulate the contamination of groundwater and rivers from the site’s coal ash ponds, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

It is the largest power station in the state and one of the largest in the country. It should be regulated as such, said Peter Goode, an environmental engineer and law professor at the University of Washington Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, which tracks pollution issues related to Ameren. The DNR does not really hold Ameren responsible.

The dispute continues a saga of environmental concerns at the coal-fired power plant, the Labadie Energy Center in Franklin County, and adds to global complaints about how state regulators are handling the Amerens power plant.

The water pollution permit issued in 2015 sparked a legal challenge from the Sierra Club. Five years after the case was filed, and more than two years after a hearing on the matter, the organization is still awaiting a decision from the state Administrative Hearing Commission.

Labadie is also one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the country without air pollution controls called scrubbers, a technology that removes sulfur dioxide from emissions, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to install and, if necessary, could forcing the closure of facilities making it uneconomical.

In an emailed statement, MNR did not respond to a series of questions from the Post-Dispatch, but said its permits comply with federal laws and that community members who claim this permit violates the Clean Water Act by not addressing the contamination of groundwater by coal ash. the ponds are wrong.

Ameren denied that the proposed permit would weaken any aspect of surveillance.

It’s absolutely no less stringent, said Craig Giesmann, senior director of environmental services at Ameren Missouris. We want to ensure stewardship of the environment at all times, because were part of these communities.

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