PA Environment Digest Blog: DEP: Part Of $39,100 Penalty Imposed For Waste Violations Related To Implosion Of Smokestacks At Former Cheswick Power Plant In Allegheny County Will Benefit Community

On November 16, the Department of Environmental Protection announced that $21,600 of the $39,100 civil penalty arising from the former Cheswick coal-fired power plant demolition project in June will benefit Springdale Borough, Allegheny County.

Cheswick Plant Environmental Redevelopment Group, LLC, Controlled Demolition, Inc., and Grant Mackay Company, Inc. violated the state Solid Waste Management Act during a demolition of two smokestacks at the former Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale Borough on June 2, 2023.

In this consent order and agreement (COA), DEP documented that when the smokestacks fell, debris from the site caused damage to several nearby buildings and a thick coating of dust covered numerous properties.

This debris and dust are considered waste under Pennsylvania’s environmental laws and regulations, and the deposition of this waste without DEP authorization constitutes a violation.

Of the $39,100 civil penalty, $21,600 will go to Springdale Borough for upgrades and/or maintenance of borough-owned parks and recreational areas. The remaining $17,500 will go to the Commonwealth’s Solid Waste Abatement Fund.

“As we pursued environmental enforcement, DEP prioritized directing the majority of the penalty money back to the community,” said DEP Southwest Regional Director Jim Miller. “Springdale Borough will be able to decide how best to use these funds for park and recreation projects.”

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