The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice revealed settlements have been made to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations at solar farm construction sites in Alabama, Idaho and Illinois.
Four solar farm owners are alleged to have violated construction permits through failing to design, install and maintain proper storm water controls, failing to conduct regular site inspections, failing to employ qualified personnel to conduct these inspections and failing to accurately report and address stormwater issues, according to a Nov. 14 EPA news release. Two of the sites are also alleged to have made unauthorized discharges of excess construction site sediment to nearby waterways.
“The development of solar energy is a key component of this administration’s efforts to combat climate change,” Acting Assistant Administrator Larry Starfield, of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in the release. “These settlements send an important message to the site owners of solar farm projects that these facilities must be planned and built-in compliance with all environmental laws, including those that prevent the discharge of sediment into local waters during construction.”
The release reports the Alabama and Illinois settlements included the participation of the states of Alabama and Illinois.
“The proposed settlements demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to require those developing these facilities, including the site owners, to comply with the law, or be held accountable for construction practices that put our waterways at risk,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in the release.
