During the

trial this week, officials from Coweta County, including County Administrator

Theron Gay, have told about the repercussions the plant could have in

Coweta County.

Situated in

a controversial industrial zone created by the Heard County Commission,

the Dynegy power plant property extends across the Heard County line into

Coweta County.

Construction

of the 500-megawatt facility continues despite, according to the suit,

a large number of zoning violations in Heard County, a lack of regional

planning involving Coweta County officials, and a failure by the developers

to consider the impact of pollution and emissions on the seriously threatened

13-county Atlanta non-attainment pollution zone.

"An out-of-state

power company is building a gas-fired power plant in Heard County,"

said lawyer George C. Rosenzweig, representing Coweta County and the Coweta

County Rural Preservation Society.

"But the

tailpipe of the plant will dump pollution in Coweta County, and Coweta

is part of the Atlanta non-attainment zone which state and federal authorities

agree is already over-polluted and must be protected."

State and federal

statutes require power plants to demonstrate that proposed emissions will

be under allowable levels, but emissions were not modeled against levels

that apply in the Atlanta non-attainment zone, in strict violation of

clean air laws, he said.

"If you

wanted to build this plant in Coweta County, you couldn't do it,"

said Rick Brown, president of the Coweta County Rural Preservation Society.

"But the

Dynegy plant straddles the Coweta County line and construction continues

at a rapid pace. We want the project stopped until all zoning and clean

air issues are resolved," he said.

The Rural Preservation

Society is a 200-member organization founded in 2000 to addre ss

quality of life issues in rural areas, including green space preservation,

conservation of natural resources, and clean air and water.