Wyandotte Settles with Feds in Clean Air Act Lawsuit

The city of Wyandotte has reached a settlement with the federal government, resolving a lawsuit filed against the city in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

According to the city, vast improvements have been made to the since it was cited in 2006 for violating the U.S. Clean Air Act.

"Wyandotte has taken significant steps to reduce emissions from its facility through a series of work practice changes, new emission controls, and a commitment to install a bag house within 3 years to further reduce emissions," a press release from the city says. 

"Wyandotte has fully cooperated with EPA during the course of this matter, and the settlement represents a positive outcome for all the parties. In addition, Wyandotte has gone beyond the four corners of the power plant, and has voluntarily agreed to convert a portion of the Wyandotte municipal fleet to natural gas, as part of a supplemental environmental project with EPA."

Melanie McCoy, general manager of , which operates the power plant, said city officials were pleased that an agreement could be reached.

"This settlement follows years of cooperative negotiations with EPA, and we're pleased that this matter has been resolved in a manner that avoids litigation and significant fines," she said in the press release. "We believe that under this settlement, we will be well positioned to meet current and anticipated requirements under the Clean Air Act."

The federal government's original lawsuit claimed the city's power plant emitted unlawful levels of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

(Editor's note: This story originally incorrectly attributed some information to the Environmental Protection Agency. All information should be attributed to the city of Wyandotte.)