SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The operators of a coal-fired power plant in eastern Utah have agreed to pay $35,000 to settle air-pollution violations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA says the Bonanza power plant was releasing too much exhaust at times. Officials say operators were bypassing a fabric-filter bag house during smoky startups and shutdowns, apparently to extend the life of the filters.
The bag house is now in use at all times of operation. As part of the settlement, they also agreed to spend $260,000 to replace five maintenance trucks with models powered by cleaner-burning natural gas.
The Deseret Generation & Transmission Co-operative operates the Bonanza plant within the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation near Vernal, Utah.
