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The environmental groups, Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club, and the companies that own the Oak Creek plant — We Energies, Madison Gas and Electric, and Wisconsin Public Power Inc. — called the settlement a victory.
Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club filed a petition in April 2005 challenging the state Department of Natural Resources’ permit for the cooling system at a coal-fired power plant in Oak Creek. They argued the plant relied on old technology that would cause more damage to Lake Michigan fish than a modern system with cooling towers.
The agreement requires the plant’s owners to pay $4 million a year from 2010 through 2035 to address water quality issues — invasive species, polluted runoff, toxic loadings and habitat destruction — in exchange for the groups dropping the challenge to the permit.
Mark Redsten, executive director at Clean Wisconsin, said they settled because they weren’t certain they would win. He said it’s a victory, but not a full victory. The proposed lake improvements are significant and will help fight global warming, he said.
“These environmental protections help ensure Lake Michigan is a healthy natural resource for generations to come,” he said.
Other highlights of the agreement:
Barry McNulty, spokesman for the majority-owner We Energies, said the utility plans to open one part of the Oak Creek power plant next year and would have had to spend at least $300 million to make the improvements that he said weren’t any more environmentally friendly.
“It allows us to move forward,” he said. “It allows the citizens, our customer if you will, some certainty we will be able to operate the facility.”
