Neighbors of Greene County power plant claim pollution nuisance in federal lawsuitAug 27 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - David Conti The Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewNeighbors of a soon-to-be-shuttered Greene County power plant filed a federal lawsuit against its owner and hope to gain class-action status in their complaint over pollution. Three people who live in Masontown near the FirstEnergy Hatfield's Ferry station across the river in Monongahela Township say the coal-fired plant spreads soot, chemicals, gasses, odors and other pollution that creates a nuisance and damages their homes. Their lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court, Downtown, seeks unspecified damages because, they say, FirstEnergy knows the plant is polluting. The Akron-based power company has not seen the lawsuit, so declined to comment. FirstEnergy last month announced it would close Hatfield's Ferry and its Mitchell station in Washington County in October because it could not afford about $275 million needed to bring the plants into compliance with federal air and mercury standards. Spokeswoman Stephanie Thornton said the company plans to deactivate Hatfield's Ferry on Oct. 9, although electrical grid operator PJM Interconnection asked for a delay. FirstEnergy will respond to that request by Sept. 9, Thornton said. James DePasquale, the lawyer for the neighbors, wrote that more than 1,000 people who live within 1.5 miles of Hatfield's Ferry could join the lawsuit. He could not be reached for comment. A ruling last week in a similar lawsuit DePasquale filed on behalf of neighbors of a Cheswick power station might have cleared the way for the latest action. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling that dismissed the lawsuit against the NRG Energy plant, which claims it is a nuisance to neighbors. The appeals court said people can pursue property damage claims against a plant owner even if it complies with government air regulations. David Conti is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-388-5802 or dconti@tribweb.com.
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