Two environmental groups are suing the Wisconsin DNR over what they say is one of the dirtiest coal plants in the state. Clean Wisconsin Attorney Katie Nekola says they hope to compel the agency to issue an air permit for Milwaukee’s Valley Power Plant.
Nekola told WRN the plant is in a very densely populated area of the city’s downtown and lacks modern pollution control. She says the pollution is in part responsible for Milwaukee’s poor air quality as the city is not in compliance with federal air requirements.
Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club say the agency has not acted within the required 18 months of a permit application submitted by We Energies.
The DNR says due to staffing cuts the agency has had difficulty keeping up with permit requests, according to the Journal Sentinel.