9/1/13 USDOJ: Settlement with Dominion Energy Reduces Harmful Pollution in Three States and Downwind Communities

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday , April 1 , 201 3

Settlement with Dominion Energy Reduces Harmful

Pollution in T hree States and Downwind Communities

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Env ironmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced
today that Dominion Energy has agreed to pay a $3.4 million civ il penalty and spend
approx imately $9.8 million on env ironmental mitigation projects to resolv e Clean Air Act
(CAA) v iolations. The settlement will result in reductions of nitrogen ox ides, sulfur diox ide and
particulate matter by more than 7 0,000 tons per y ear, across three of the utility ’s coal-fired
power plants, located in Kincaid, Ill., State Line, Ind., and Somerset, Mass.

“This settlement will improv e air quality in states in the Midwest and Northeast by eliminating
tens of thousands of tons of harmful air pollution each y ear,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant
Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Env ironment and Natural Resources Div ision.
“These reductions mark the latest step in our continuing efforts, along with EPA, to protect
public health and the env ironment through rigorous enforcement of the Clean Air Act.”

“Today ’s settlement substantially reduces harmful pollution from coal-fired power plants in and
around communities with significant air pollution concerns,” said Cy nthia Giles, Assistant
Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Along with the
pollution reductions at the three power plants cov ered by the agreement, the settlement also
requires Dominion to inv est ov er $9 million in pollution reducing projects in neighboring
communities.”

Under the settlement, Dominion must install or upgrade pollution control technology on two Get a Job
plants, and permanently retire a third plant. Dominion will be required to operate the new and
ex isting pollution controls continuously , and will be required to comply with stringent emission Locate a Prison, Inmate, or Sex
rates and annual tonnage limitations. The actions taken by Dominion to comply with this Offender
settlement will result in annual reductions at the Bray on Point and Kincaid plants of sulfur
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diox ide (SO2) and nitrogen ox ides (NOx ) emissions by 52,000 tons from 201 0 lev els. The
retirement of the State Line plant will result in an additional reduction of 1 8,000 tons of SO2 and Submit a Complaint
NOx .

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The settlement also requires Dominion to spend $9.7 5 million on projects that will benefit the Misconduct to the Inspector General
env ironment and human health in communities located near the Dominion facilities. A total of
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$9 million will be spent on such projects as: 1 ) wood stov e changeouts, including $2 million for
changeouts in southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut; 2) switcher Find Help and Information for Crime
locomotiv e idle reduction for Chicago rail y ards; 3) land acquisition and restoration adjacent to, V ictims
or near, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore; 4) energy efficiency and geothermal/solar
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projects for local schools and food banks; and 5) clean diesel engine retrofits for municipalities
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and school districts. Dominion must also pay a total of $7 50,000 to the U.S. Forest Serv ice and
the National Park Serv ice, to be used on projects to address the damage resulting from Identify Our Most Wanted Fugitiv es
Dominion’s alleged ex cess emissions.
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Reducing air pollution from the largest sources of emissions, including coal-fired power plants,
is one of EPA’s National Enforcement Initiativ es for 201 1 -201 3. SO2 and NOx , two key Contact Us
pollutants emitted from power plants, hav e numerous adv erse effects on human health and are
significant contributors to acid rain, smog and haze. These pollutants are conv erted in the air to
fine particles that can cause sev ere respiratory and cardiov ascular impacts, and premature
death. Reducing these harmful air pollutants will benefit the communities located near
Dominion facilities, particularly communities disproportionately impacted by env ironmental
risks and v ulnerable populations, including children. Because air pollution from power plants
can trav el significant distances downwind, this settlement will also reduce air pollution outside
the immediate region.
www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/April/13-enrd-366.html 1/2
9/1/13 USDOJ: Settlement with Dominion Energy Reduces Harmful Pollution in Three States and Downwind Communities
the immediate region.

This judicial settlement is secured as part of a national enforcement initiativ e to control harmful
emissions from power plants under the CAA’s New Source Rev iew requirements. The total
combined sulfur diox ide and nitrogen ox ides emission reductions secured from all power plant
settlements to date will ex ceed nearly 2 million tons each y ear once all the required pollution
controls hav e been installed and implemented.

The settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and
is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approv al. The settlement can be
v iewed at www.justice.gov /enrd/Consent_Decrees.html

More information about the settlement:

www.epa.gov /enforcement/air/cases/dominionenergy .html

More information about EPA’s national enforcement initiativ e:

www.epa.gov /compliance/data/planning/initiativ es/201 1 airpollution.html

1 3-366 Env ironment and Natural Resources Div ision

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