SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - The operators of a western Massachusetts power plant have been sentenced to pay more than $7 million after pleading guilty to tampering with emissions equipment and submitting bogus reports to regulators in violation of the Clean Air Act.
Federal prosecutors say Berkshire Power Company- the owner of Berkshire Power Plant -and its management company Power Plant Management Services were sentenced Wednesday in Springfield to pay a combined $3.25 million in criminal fines and $1 million to the American Lung Association.
They will also pay more than $3 million in civil fines to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Prosecutors say the companies altered an oxygen monitor on a Continuous Emissions Monitoring System to save money, delay repairs and avoid reporting that the Agawam plant was releasing pollutants above hourly legal limits.
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