Hundreds of residents and students in Springdale and Cheswick have signed petitions asking RRI Energy to voluntarily agree to reduce the lead emissions limit at its Cheswick coal-fired power plant.

Houston, Texas-based RRI, formerly Reliant Energy, is seeking an Allegheny County Health Department permit to install stack scrubbers that will reduce emissions of soot and sulfur dioxide pollution by up to 98 percent but also could result in a four-fold lead emissions increase.

The citizens petition containing 227 signatures and another, signed by 233 students at Springdale High School, were given to representatives of the company at a meeting Thursday evening.

The company did not immediately respond to the petitions.

According to the federal Toxics Release Inventory, the 637-megawatt power plant along the Allegheny River emitted 0.23 tons, or 460 pounds, of lead in 2008. RRI has a permit application, under consideration by the Health Department, that asks to increase the lead emissions limit to 1,810 pounds a year.

The higher limit would give the company the option of burning coal containing higher concentrations of lead, although it said last month that it has not decided to do that.

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