In a victory for environmentalists one of the last coal burning industrial power plants in Massachusetts is being converted to natural gas.
Eastman Chemical announced Tuesday that it plans to convert to natural gas the coal burning boiler that produces steam and electricity at its chemical manufacturing facility in Springfield. The company said the change over will occur by January 2016 . Michaelann Bewsee , executive director of Arise for Social Justice said a campaign calling for an end to coal-burning at the facility had just begun.
Environmental groups claimed emissions from the coal plant likely posed a health risk to the people who live nearby. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection earlier this year ordered the plant owners to do an air quality study.
