The Homer City Generating Station, a coal plant in western Pennsylvania, is a terrible neighbor. In 2010, the plant released more sulfur dioxide (SO2)—which can cause breathing problems, lung disease and heart attacks after only five minutes of exposure—than any other industrial facility in the nation. Data from the Clean Air Task Force has estimated that pollution from the plant contributes to 43 premature deaths, 72 heart attacks and 650 asthma attacks every year.
Hopefully, that’s about to change for the better. A precedent-setting Earthjustice lawsuit led to EPA-enforced hourly limits that will benefit residents in the region, particularly children, the elderly and asthmatics. The hourly controls were established in recognition of sulfur dioxide’s capacity to cause serious health impacts after short periods of exposure.
As efforts unfold across the country to clean up old, dirty coal-fired power plants, the hourly SO2 limits at Homer City will serve as a critical precedent that will influence coal plant cleanup.