The proposed Prairie State Energy Campus, for which construction was to begin later this year on a 1200-acre site, won’t move forward until its owner, Peabody Energy, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) rectify issues relating to Peabody’s air permit. On April 12, the Washington County Board approved a special-use zoning permit, but a federal agency has halted the entire project by asking that the permit originally issued in January by the IEPA be reconsidered, Belleville News-Democrat reported.
Shortly after the January approval allowed a tentative construction start date to be set, a coalition of environmental groups filed an appeal of the permit with the Environmental Appeals Board of the US EPA, a three-member panel of judges that reviews air pollution permits. The board found that the IEPA had not followed procedure and failed to issue an official response to comments on the permit before granting it. It reversed the agency’s decision on March 25 while ordering them to reconsider and then reissue a final permit.
The proposed campus, which would create 2500 construction jobs and 450 permanent jobs in the area, was approved by a unanimous vote by the board. Board chairman David Meyers said in a statement that the county and Peabody had reached an agreement on a number of other issues including infrastructure, roadways and property taxes, and commented on the positive economic impact the plant will have.
Peabody Energy feels the setback is temporary. “We are optimistic that a final air quality permit will be issued in the near future,” Peabody spokesman Vic Svec said in a statement. According to IEPA spokesperson Anne Rowan, the permit could be reissued in the next few weeks. Additionally, she stated that that agency staff recently met with environmentalists to assess their concerns about the project and is now taking a look at the permit to determine whether changes should be made.
The proposed 1500MW plant will be fueled by six million tons of coal produced each year from an adjacent mine. The IEPA awarded the plant a prevention of significant deterioration permit in January.
