YORK COUNTY, Pa.– On Wednesday, February 14, 2018, the Sierra Club served a Notice of Intent (NOI) to sue Talen Energy’s Brunner Island Steam Electric Station under various environmental statutes related to the station’s coal operations. The NOI starts a mandatory waiting period before the Sierra Club can file suit, which it expects to do on May 15, 2018. However, the Sierra Club and Brunner Island have already reached a global settlement of all issues raised in the NOI.
Under the settlement, Brunner Island agrees to operate only on natural gas during the ozone season (May 1-September 30) starting on January 1, 2023 and cease coal operations after December 31, 2028. The agreement does allow for use of coal during the ozone season before December 31, 2028, subject to limits on annual CO2 and ozone season NOx emissions, as well as during emergencies, as determined by the operator of the electric grid, PJM Interconnection, after December 31, 2028. The Brunner Island station currently has dual-fuel capability, which means it can operate on coal, natural gas or in combination.
The settlement will be memorialized in a Consent Decree, filed concurrently with the Complaint. The Consent Decree will be reviewed and approved by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and fully resolves all of the Sierra Club’s claims against Brunner Island.
SOURCE: Talen Energy Corporation
