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Press Release

Proposed Consent Decree Edwards Coal Plant Would Help Community, Environment

Proposed Consent Decree Edwards Coal Plant Would Help Community, Environment. Environmental Law & Policy Center attorneys represented the plaintiffs in case resulting in record award in an opacity citizen suit.

In response to the announcement Monday of a proposed consent decree that, subject to regulatory approval, will result in the retirement of the Edwards plant and the payment of $8.6 million to fund community projects in the Peoria area. Attorneys from the Environmental Law & Policy Center served as outside counsel for plaintiffs the Sierra Club and Respiratory Health Association (RHA) in a Clean Air Act lawsuit brought, along with Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), against Illinois Power Resources Generating, LLC (IPRG), an affiliate of Luminant, in 2013.

In response, ELPC Executive Director Howard A. Learner said:

“This consent decree, if approved, will result in cleaner air and better public health for people in Peoria and the surrounding region as the highly polluting Edwards coal plant is retired in 2022. Moreover, the consent decree provides for $8.6 million of projects to benefit the region,” Learner said. “ELPC is proud of our legal work in this case to enforce the environmental laws and protect healthy communities.”

In response, Brian Urbaszewski, RHA’s Director of Environmental Health Programs, said:

“We are glad we were able to craft a resolution to this legal case that provides certainty on future emissions from the Edwards plant and will also direct funding to benefit Peoria-area residents,” Urbaszewski said. “The steadfast legal work by ELPC and the other plaintiffs’ counsel helped ensure funds provided by the consent decree will be directed to public health improvements, directly benefitting sick and vulnerable area residents.”

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