ST. LOUIS _ Scientists here are criticizing a proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declaring that the Labadie Energy Center _ the biggest coal-fired power plant in Missouri _ has met a key air quality standard.
Watchdogs say the plant's owner, St. Louis-based electric monopoly Ameren Corp., has not installed air monitoring equipment in a large arc southeast of the Franklin County facility, where winds primarily push emissions. Without that, they say, the EPA cannot possibly know the true impact of the plant on air pollution.
"It's a premature decision," said Ken Miller, an environmental scientist at Washington University's Interdisciplinary Environmental Clinic, which closely tracks Ameren. "Only after you've filled that data gap will you have enough information."
