Mount Vernon Optic-Herald

Luminant leadership announced the need to shutdown facilities in employee meetings in Texas Monday, Sept. 12. Approximately 500 jobs will be lost company wide.
Luminant will be idling two local generating units (Monticello Units 1 and 2) and ceasing mining Texas lignite at three local mine sites. he announcement stated that the action was necessary  to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.  The rule, which the EPA released earlier this summer, requires Texas power generators to make dramatic reductions in emissions beginning January 1, 2012, including 64 percent of SO2 emissions at its fossil fuel units.
While Luminant is making preparations to meet the rule’s compliance deadline, the company also filed a legal challenge on Monday. Luminant’s suit in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit seeks to invalidate the CSAPR as to Texas. For more information, see the September 15 edition of the Mount Vernon Optic-Herald.