Environmental Groups File Petition against John W. Turk, Jr. Plant
The Sierra Club, National Audubon Society and Audubon Arkansas filed a petition on October 25 with the Arkansas Public Service Commission (Arkansas PSC) attempting to halt work on the John W. Turk, Jr. coal plant being constructed by the Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO). The petition alleges that by filing for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need (CECPN), SWEPCO waived its right to proceed without a CECPN, and thus SWEPCO is not lawfully entitled to proceed with construction pursuant to the exemption from the CECPN requirement that SWEPCO elected after the Arkansas Supreme Court reversed and nullified the CECPN issued by the Arkansas PSC. The petition also alleges that Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation, as a joint owner of the plant, should be required to obtain a CECPN, and that an Environmental Impact Statement relating to the construction of a natural gas transmission line for the plant must be prepared. A copy of the petition is available here on the Arkansas PSC’s website.
