Summary: Westar Energy has agreed to spend approximately $500 million to significantly reduce harmful air pollution from a Kansas power plant and pay a $3 million civil penalty, under a settlement to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Justice Department announced today.  As part of the settlement, Westar will also spend $6 million on environmental mitigation projects.

The agreement, filed in federal court in Kansas, resolves violations of the Clean Air Act’s New Source Review requirements at the company’s Jeffrey Energy Center, a coal-fired power plant near St. Marys, Kansas.

Under the settlement, Westar will install and operate pollution control equipment at the Jeffrey Energy Center that is expected to reduce combined emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides by roughly 78,600 tons per year, which is 85 percent below 2007 emissions.  In addition, Westar will surrender surplus sulfur dioxide allowances.  These allowances cannot be used again, which means that the emissions will be permanently removed from the environment.  Westar will also rebuild and optimize controls to reduce particulate matter emissions.

The settlement also requires Westar to spend $6 million on projects to benefit the environment and mitigate the adverse effects of the alleged violations including:

• Retrofitting diesel engines on vehicles owned by or operated for public entities in Kansas with emission control equipment;

• Installing new wind turbines that will result in the reduction of criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases, and provide electricity for the benefit of a school or nonprofit;

• Installing advanced truck stop electrification to reduce harmful emissions from idling trucks;

• Installing plug-in hybrid infrastructure to facilitate the use of plug-in hybrid vehicles; and

• Converting vehicles in Westar’s fleet to reduce pollution by retrofitting diesel vehicles with emission controls and purchasing hybrid vehicles.

Source: January 25, 2010 EPA News Release

More Information: The full news release is at http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/a85fb73e4c613f4f852576b600565a8a!OpenDocument

Prepared by: This message was distributed by Kellen Mahoney, who may be reached at e-mail: kmahoney@eetnews.com