N.J. seeks to stop Western Pennsylvania power plant over emissions

The Christie administration wants to join two other states and the federal government in a suit that accuses a power plant in Western Pennsylvania of sending pollutants into New Jersey.

The state filed for an injunction in federal court to stop operations of the Homer City Station, a coal-fired plant considered one of the most polluting in the country, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Friday. Its pollutants, carried east, contribute to acid rain, according to the state.

New Jersey also seeks money for what it describes as "past and ongoing violations of federal law" and "mitigation of harm caused."

A spokesman for the Edison Mission Group of California, operator of the plant, said that although he could not comment specifically on ongoing litigation, the company had invested more than $300 million to reduce emissions at the Homer City plant since acquiring it in 1999.

"We have plans to continue that good work," spokesman Charley Parnell said. "All of the alleged violations mentioned in the . . . suit actually occurred before we owned the facility."

Parnell said the Homer City plant had permits to emit gases into the airstream.

"That said, we've significantly reduced the emissions that are released from our stacks," he said.

The DEP said the plant emits more than 100,000 tons of sulfur dioxide a year, fine particulate matter that can lead to respiratory distress, cardiovascular disease, asthma attacks, and early death. It also affects water quality and the health of aquatic and plant life.

"Air pollution certainly does not stop at state boundaries," DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said in a statement. "Even though this power plant is hundreds of miles away, emissions are affecting public health and environment right here in our state. That is unacceptable."

The power plant is in Indiana County, near Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania and New York have already filed suit against it. Defendants in New Jersey's legal action included current and past owners.

New Jersey also has filed a petition with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to reduce emissions from a plant in Portland, Pa., near the Delaware River, and has sued to reduce emissions at three other power plants in Western Pennsylvania.