Judge Reinstates Suit over Pennsylvania River Discharges

A federal judge has reinstated a lawsuit by two environmental groups that claim an energy company polluted the Conemaugh River in Pennsylvania and thwarted efforts to clean it up.

The lawsuit filed in 2007 by PennEnvironment and the Sierra Club was thrown out of court in December. U.S. Magistrate Amy Reynolds Hay said at the time that the groups couldn’t prove that excessive discharge levels by an RRI Energy Northeast Management Co. plant actually hurt the river.

On Tuesday, Hay agreed to reinstate the lawsuit after the environmental groups argued that she had overlooked evidence in the case.

At issue are discharges from RRI’s Conemaugh Generating Station in New Florence. The company has said they don’t believe either group is legally entitled to sue.