During the pre-construction permitting phase of Longview Power’s coal-fired electric plant in Maidsville, WV, three national environmental groups – the Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited and the National Parks Conservation Association – collectively challenged an air permit issued to Longview by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

The groups questioned emission limits and the enforcement and monitoring requirements of the permit, as well as Longview’s plan to mitigate the impact of sulfur dioxide emission in national parks and wilderness areas in and around Appalachia.

The parties ultimately reached an agreement about the issues in question. In addition to reduced emission limits, the settlement established a mitigation fund to address acid deposition and greenhouse gases, and created a way to help local citizens and businesses mitigate air and water pollution.

NREL is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Department of Energy and operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, a joint venture between MRIGlobal and Battelle.

Located in Golden, Colorado, NREL is home to the National Center for Photovoltaics, the National Bioenergy Center, and the National Wind Technology Center.