Conservation Groups Sue UNC, Allege Air Pollution Violations

Two conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit against UNC on Tuesday, accusing the university of having violated the Clear Air Act.

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club contend UNC repeatedly violates federal law by not following pollution control requirements at a plant used to power the school. The two non-profits, which filed the case in the U.S. district court in Greensboro, are specifically targeting the co-generation power plant on Cameron Avenue near Carrboro. In a statement about the lawsuit, the Center for Biological Diversity says the plant uses two coal-burning boilers that are outdated and significantly contribute to air pollution.

The Center also says the existing state-issued permit for the coal plant, which UNC applied to renew in February, allows the university to emit four to six times the limits of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution allowed under the Clear Air Act.

In a letter obtained by the Durham Herald-Sun to the Center for Biological Diversity, vice chancellor of finance and operations Jonathan Pruitt denied the claims of repeated violations. He said the plants produce steam and electricity to power the university and said there have been few instances of record-keeping errors for the plant’s pollution output.

In 2010, former UNC chancellor Holden Thorp said the university aimed to be operating coal-free by 2020, but many reports show the goal was abandoned shortly after because of financial restrictions. Former chancellor Carol Folt pledged in 2016 that UNC would aim to be carbon neutral by 2050.

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Conservation Groups Sue UNC, Allege Air Pollution Violations

Two conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit against UNC on Tuesday, accusing the university of having violated the Clear Air Act. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club contend UNC repeatedly violates federal law by not following pollution control requirements at a plant used to power the school. The two non-profits, which filed […]

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