Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul have filed a lawsuit over the disposal of coal ash at the former Vermilion Power Station. Lacy and the Attorney General have also filed a motion to enter an agreed interim order that requires Dynegy to, among other things, create a safety emergency response plan for the site.
The suit was filed against Dynegy Midwest Generation, LLC (Dynegy) over the unlawful disposal of coal ash at Vermilion Power Station. The suit claims that dumping the coal ash led to groundwater pollution.
‘’Dynegy’s actions created a public health risk by contaminating the area’s groundwater and led to the pollution of Illinois’ only nationally-recognized scenic river,’’ said Raoul. ‘’I am pleased to partner with Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy and am committed to holding Dynegy accountable for harming our environment and putting the health of Illinois residents at risk,’’ the Attorney General added.
State’s Attorney Lacy says protecting our environment is critical to the safety and security of citizens in Vermilion County.
In the lawsuit, Raoul and Lacy argue that by placing coal ash into the onsite ponds, Dynegy contaminated the surrounding groundwater and the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. And Raoul and Lacy point out that as long as the coal ash remains in the unlined ponds, it continues to pose a threat to groundwater and the river. And the suit contends the presence of coal ash seriously jeopardizes public health and the environment.
Raoul and Lacy have also filed an agreed interim order that, if entered, would require Dynegy to prepare a safety emergency response plan for the site that outlines circumstances that would trigger the emergency response. It also includes procedures to be followed in the event of further contamination or erosion. The order also requires Dynegy to create written scopes of work for a groundwater collection trench and dewatering of the ponds, and to conduct riverbank inspections at the site. Dynegy must also prepare reports for public meetings at which the company will discuss plans for closure by removal of the coal ash that is currently in the ponds.
