LG&E Fined up to $26,000 for Coal Ash Problems at Cane Run

LG&E Fined Up to $26,000 for Coal Ash Problems at Cane Run
by Erica Peterson on November 4, 2011

Louisville Metro Government has fined Louisville Gas and Electric for several violations surrounding equipment malfunctions at the company’s Cane Run Power Station.
In the Notice of Violation, the Air Pollution Control District fines the company $26,000, but notes the company could enter in a settlement with the district and undertake remedial action. If LG&E chooses that option, the settlement amount would be $19,500.

The APCD cites three specific violations—all surrounding excess emissions of coal ash at Cane Run. During six days in June, July and August, an equipment malfunction at the sludge processing plant sent clouds of dust into the air, causing a nuisance to neighbors. The district also found that the company failed to take reasonable measures to prevent the release of ash into the neighborhood on three dates in July, and failed to report excess emissions from the plant on four days in August.