Grassroots Southern Indiana groups appeal coal-to-diesel IDEM decision

Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life (SWICQL) and Valley Watch have appealed the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s air quality permit for the Riverview Energy refinery proposed for Dale.

The groups, represented by the environmental law organization Earthjustice, will argue in Marion County Superior Court that the Office of Environmental Adjudication (OEA) committed legal errors when it upheld the permit.

“In the decision of the OEA, we were held to an impossible standard,” said Mary Hess, president of SWICQL. “The responsibility of proving engineering and technical issues should not fall on the shoulders of community organizations. We will pursue every avenue available to give a voice to those who support us, as we continue to shed light on the fact that Riverview Energy, having had their permit for over 19 months, has yet to break ground.”

“Riverview Energy is a scam that has woefully divided the citizens of Spencer County,” said John Blair, president of Valley Watch. “It is time Spencer County officials step up, like those in Vermillion County, and tell the sponsors they are no longer welcome to spread their myths. If they cannot perform, it is time for them to just go away. We can do better.”

In response to the anouncement, Riverview Energy Company stated the court’s decision was appropriate given the testimony provided by both sides. They also announced plans to break ground on the plant designed to convert coal to diesel before the fourth quarter of 2021.