US OKs permit for last coal power plant in Conn.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's last coal-fired power plant has received another five-year permit to operate.

The Connecticut Post reports that state environmental officials announced on Monday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the permit for the 51-year-old Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station.

Lee Gray, a spokesman for the plant's owner, Public Service Enterprise Group, says the permit allows it to continue providing what he calls safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy.

Environmentalists unsuccessfully fought the continued operation of the plant they consider a source of pollution.

The state recommended the renewal in September, triggering a routine 45-day review by the EPA.

The coal- and oil-fired plant, which has operated since 1961, generates 529 megawatts and can supply electricity to nearly 530,000 homes when running at capacity.

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Information from: Connecticut Post