SELC and Sierra Club appeal permit renewal for Yorktown coal-burning power station

On behalf of Sierra Club, SELC has appealed the renewal of a water pollution discharge permit for the Yorktown Power Station, a coal-fired plant owned and operated by Dominion Virginia Power. According to the claims filed in the suit the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) failed to evaluate the impact of discharging arsenic and other metals to the York River, failed to set pollution limits for the facility’s coal waste streams, and failed to establish ongoing pollution monitoring requirements.

The aging Yorktown plant, built in the 1950s, is located along the York River and some of its coal waste streams discharge directly into the river, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. While Dominion has indicated that the plant may be retired in the next few years given its age and outdated technology and pollution controls, the company has avoided a binding agreement to do so.

Read the full press release.