PGE, environmentalists settle coal plant lawsuit
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Environmentalists and Portland General Electric have settled a lawsuit over the utility's coal-fired electricity plant in Eastern Oregon.
The agreement announced Tuesday includes additional limits on sulfur dioxide emissions during the Boardman plant's final years.
The plant is the only one of its kind in Oregon and a major source of greenhouse gases and regional haze pollutants. Last year, an agreement with state regulators set 2020 as the date for ending coal burning at the plant. Environmentalists say the new agreement provides court backing for that date.
The agreement also provides $2.5 million for environmental projects in the Columbia Gorge area and northeastern Oregon and $1 million for the environmental groups' legal expenses.
