Sierra Clubs Asks D.C. to Join Fight to Close Alexandria Power Plant

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray asked to put closure on fast track

An environmental group wants to put an Alexandrial, Va., power plant out of business, and it’s hoping that pressure from the D.C. government will do the trick. 

The Sierra Club wants D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray to file a special petition with the Environmental Protection Agency to force the plant to clean up or shut down, the Washington Examiner reported.

The concern? Sulfur dioxide.

According to the Examiner, The Sierra Club conducted its own study and found that sulfur dioxide from the plant is blowing across the Potomac River, posing a danger for residents in southeast Washington. The group met with those residents last week to warn them about the risks. Now, they say, the mayor should step in.

"We're concerned about people's health. This is a tangible indicator that there's something going on in the air we need to be concerned about," Sierra representative Irv Sheffey told the Examiner.

The EPA links sulfur dioxide with asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Genon, the company that owns the plant, said it meets all state sulfur dioxide regulations and even reduced emissions by 80 percent over the last 11 years.

For now, there are no indications that the mayor’s office will take any action. Gray has expressed concern about pollution from the plant, but city leaders are also worried about the effect shutting the plant down will have on the District’s power supply. 

The city of Alexandria reportedly wants the power plant shut down.

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