WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - The Guam Power Authority has settled pollution accusations with the U.S. government, which accused the utility of violating the Clean Air Act.
The lawsuit was filed by the Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 7. The complaint focuses on eight power-generation units operated by the Guam Power Authority and the Marianas Energy Co.
The generation units were built between 1974 and 1999, using fuel oil to run the systems. The plants do not include systems to reduce carbon monoxide emissions, the EPA said, and create excessive levels of air pollutants including methanol, mercury compounds and other hazardous chemicals.
The EPA alleges pollutant levels leaving the eight units are between 60 percent to 289 percent above legal limits.
The settlement includes a $400,000 civil penalty and requires the defendants to retrofit two units by switching completely to ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and installing emissions controls.
Other steam units that have operated beyond their useful lives must be retired, 100 megawatts of solar power generation must be constructed and a 40-megawatt energy storage system must be built.