Two environmental groups Wednesday said they plan to sue the owners of the 2,080-MW coal-fired Colstrip power plant in Montana over alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.
Sierra Club and the Montana Environmental Information Center sent the plant's owners a 60-day notice on Wednesday saying that the groups intend to sue over various violations at the plant.
"The Sierra Club and MEIC will ask the court to impose appropriate injunctive relief, civil penalties, [and] a beneficial environmental project in the areas directly impacted by the highest concentrations of air pollution emissions from the Colstrip Station," the notice said.
The Colstrip plant, located near Billings, Montana, is the second largest coal plant west of the Mississippi River.
The environmental groups contend that the owners made major changes to the plant without obtaining construction permits or installing pollution control equipment.
The Colstrip plant is owned by PPL Montana, a PPL Generation subsidiary, Puget Sound Energy, Portland General Electric, Avista, PacifiCorp and NorthWestern Energy.
PPL Montana, which operates the Colstrip plant, is reviewing the notice, company spokesman David Hoffman said Wednesday. He, however, declined to comment on the letter.
Sierra Club has been filing suits alleging Clean Air Act violations at coal-fired power plants around the US as part of a broad campaign aimed at forcing plant owners to install pollution controls or retire units earlier than planned.
