The EPA says it’s now testing a new leak prevention system at two coal-fired power plants in New York state
The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that it’s testing a system that can detect and stop gas leaks at two of the nation’s largest coal-burning power plants.
The EPA is testing the system at a gas leak prevention facility at the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and a natural gas leak detection facility at a wastewater treatment facility in West Virginia.
The system, called Lidar, uses cameras to determine where a leak is occurring.
The agency is not releasing the exact location of the leak prevention systems, saying it’s working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to test those locations.
But, the agency said in a statement, “We have not been able to locate the leak detection systems at the two coal plants.”
The agency says the new system can detect gas leaks in less than 10 seconds.
It’s part of the agency’s effort to address the gas crisis at coal plants, as part of its $1.6 trillion Clean Power Plan.
The EPA is also testing a water-quality monitoring system at the coal plant in Newburgh, New York.
The Clean Power plan, which is also intended to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants, calls for building two new coal-powered plants at least 15 miles apart, and installing methane monitoring systems in the plants to measure methane emissions.
President Donald Trump has called the new plans a disaster for the environment.