💧 Water and Power · U.S. Virgin Islands
WAPA moved to annual federal court reviews after May 20 compliance hearing
The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority told U.S. District Court on May 20, 2019, that it remained in substantial compliance with air-permit requirements under consent decrees covering its power plants, according to a WAPA statement released on May 22, 2019.
At the hearing, Special Advisor Gregory Rhymer said the authority remained in substantial compliance with its air permits. He said an atomizing air compressor needed to operate Unit 14 at the Randolph Harley Plant had arrived on St. Thomas and, once installed, the unit would be available for dispatch within 60 days. He also said WAPA's environmental department continued monitoring emissions and planned stack testing in July 2019.
Ralph Lonergan, an environmental engineer with EPA Region II, testified that there had been no major concerns in the previous quarter, according to the statement.
After the hearing, the court said WAPA would no longer be required to report quarterly and instead would report annually. The next status conference was scheduled for November 2019, with annual reviews thereafter unless either party requested a hearing.
WAPA said the consent decrees stemmed from federal enforcement actions filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the EPA in August 2014 and September 2016 over alleged Clean Air Act violations at the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John facilities. The authority said the decrees included injunctive relief, stipulated penalties for future violations, and civil penalty payments of $700,000 for St. Croix and $1.3 million for St. Thomas-St. John.