By Joyce Blumenshine

The Pekin Powerton coal-fired power plant May 8th public hearing is the first the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) will hold under state coal ash pond regulations signed into law in 2019, after significant public efforts. Your attendance will be a great help to show public concern and interest. The hearing is Wednesday, May 8th, 6 p.m. at the Miller Senior Center, 551 South 14th St, Pekin.

Significant state regulations established structural integrity requirements for coal ash impoundments, groundwater monitoring and corrective action standards, operating criteria for coal ash units, and record keeping and public disclosure requirements. This hearing will discuss conditions at the Powerton coal plant coal ash ponds. The coal-fired power plant began in 1972 and is located near the Illinois River south of Pekin on Manito Road. The company plans to shift coal ash and upgrade the liner for their ash bypass basin. A new liner will be placed over the existing liner, but concerns remain regarding older layers of coal ash at the location. Work on other coal ash ponds is listed in the IEPA hearing  public notice. 

Written comments can be sent by May 17th and should be emailed to epa.publichearingcom@illinois.gov with the subject RE: Midwest Generation , LLC – Powerton Generating Station CCR / 2024-CC-100030.  See more information in the public hearing notice at the link above.