The EPA must determine whether to approve Texas’ plan to reduce pollution from an East Texas coal-burning power station.
After reaching a settlement with the Sierra Club in a legal dispute regarding the air quality in Rusk and Panola counties.
Sierra Club Advocates For Thorough Federal Plans
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality submitted a plan to minimize pollutants from the Martin Lake power station near Tatum in 2022.
According to the Sierra Club’s lawsuit, the EPA failed to reject or approve the plan in a timely manner.
The Sierra Club has encouraged the EPA to reject the TCEQ plan because it is deemed inadequate.
By the end of the year, the EPA must make the decision outlined in the settlement.
The organization must then decide how to improve the county’s air quality by the beginning of 2024.
We’ve seen in the past that while Texas plans are generally not adequate, the federal government puts together much more thorough plans that result in better air quality, said Emma Pabst, a campaign manager with the Sierra Club.
High levels of sulfur dioxide, which is frequently released by power plants, have prevented the two counties’ air from meeting federal air quality regulations since 2017, according to the Sierra Club, which referred to the Martin Lake plant as the worst sulfur dioxide and mercury polluter in the entire United States.
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Respiratory Problems Linked To Martin Lake Power Plant
Paulette Goree, 70, has lived her entire life in Panola County and is only 5 miles from the power plant.
Regarding the settlement, Goree stated, I’m hoping this means there’s help on the way. I’m hoping it’ll be something good for our community and some changes are being made, the speaker said.
According to Goree, respiratory problems have plagued her, her family, and her neighbors ever since the Martin Lake power plant built in the late 1970s.
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