The Sierra Club and the Environmental Integrity Project welcome the DEP’s decision to invalidate the four-year old air plan permit that would have allowed Robinson Power Company to build the 272-megawatt Beech Hollow Power Plant in Robinson Township, Washington County.

Since the state issued Beech Hollow’s air permit in 2005, hundreds of local citizens have voiced their concerns to the PA DEP about the proposed plant through emails, phone calls and public meetings. They also garnered the attention of the media through letters to the editors of area newspapers.

“We commend the PA DEP’s actions to enforce this important provision of the law, especially since the air quality regulations have been strengthened since the original application, over five years ago. The PA DEP’s decision means that if Beech Hollow decides to reapply, the plant will be held to stricter air pollution standards,” noted Lisa Graves Marcucci of the Environmental Integrity Project.

Two other proposed waste coal power plants closely resemble the stalled Beech Hollow plant. The Wellington plant in Greene County and the River Hill plant in Clearfield County have yet to be built even though they obtained their permits years ago.

“In light of the denial of Robinson Power’s permit for the Beech Hollow plant, I hope the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection sees fit to use the same criteria to put an end to these other waste coal plants”, said Randy Francisco, the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Representative in Pennsylvania.