Indiana plant responsible for acid mist

MOUNT CARMEL, Ill. -- Officials at an Indiana power plant that has spewed acid mist into this southern Illinois town for more than a month agreed Friday to shut down the device causing the problem.\nState and federal regulatory officials on Thursday threatened legal action against Cinergy Corp. if its Gibson Station power plant near Princeton, Ind., didn't stop sending acid mist into Mount Carmel, as it has been doing since a selective catalytic reduction device started malfunctioning in early June.\nInstead of scrubbing nitrogen oxide -- as it is intended to do -- the device has been producing sulfur trioxide, which turns into acid rain or acid mist when mixed with moisture in the atmosphere, said Dave Kolaz, who heads air pollution control for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.\nCinergy's coal-fired, 3,350 megawatt plant is among dozens in 19 states that must reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by May 31 to comply with new federal rules.\nThe plant, located across the Wabash River from this town of 8,000 some 30 miles north of Evansville, was trying to do so with selective catalytic reduction units, which cut the toxin. But one has been malfunctioning since its installation.\nCompany officials called state and federal environmental protection agencies and the city of Mount Carmel Friday to say they would stop operating the problematic device until they developed a schedule for testing it approved by the agencies. A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.\n"We are voluntarily discontinuing operation ... until we have more time to work with various groups involved on operating issues and protocol for testing them," said Cinergy spokeswoman Angeline Protogere. "Cinergy cares as much as they do about the health of the people of Mount Carmel."\nThe company has other options for limiting nitrogen oxide, including buying emissions credits, she said.\nMelissa Merz, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan, said the office was pleased to hear of the decision, but would still consider taking legal action if things don't go according to plan.\nRepresentatives of Madigan's office, the IEPA, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and local city officials urged Cinergy to voluntarily stop running the faulty converter during a conference call Thursday, said Bill Maples, who heads economic development for Mount Carmel and is representing the city in the discussions.\nRegulatory officials have been monitoring Cinergy's efforts to fix the problem, but on Wednesday Kolaz said he was alarmed at the plant's decision to operate the device when the weather in the area was humid and stagnant.\nAs it had on many other days since early June, a brown cloud of acid mist covered Mount Carmel to the point where people complained of watery eyes and sore throats, he said.\nSo far, there have been no reports of serious injuries, according to local officials. But farmers have begun to wonder whether exposure to the haze could affect their crops. Kolaz said an agriculture expert will be on hand at Tuesday's meeting to answer their questions.\nKolaz wants regulatory agencies to determine when the plant can run the tests on the device to ensure the weather will dissipate the haze, he said.