A judge with the Office of Environmental Adjudication sided with the opponents of a proposed coal-to-diesel plant in Spencer County concerning public comment on the granting of an air pollution permit.
Judge Catherine Gibbs agreed with an appeal that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) broke it’s public comment rules by not responding to a public records request before a 30 day public comment period ended.
IDEM has issued an air permit to Riverview Energy which is planning to locate a plant near Dale that would convert coal to diesel fuel. Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life and Valley Watch says IDEM did not provide records they had requested until about a week before the final air permit was granted which was in violation to IDEM’s rules according to the judge.