Environmental Law Clinic Efforts Associated With Coal-Fired Power Plant Legal Action Featured in Denver Newspaper

The efforts of the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in relation to a controversial coal-fired power plant in the southeast Colorado town of Lamar are featured in the latest issue of the Denver weekly newspaper Westword.

In "Black Out: Lamar Gets Steamed Over a Troubled Coal Plant -- Right in the Middle of Town," (Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2010), Westword reports on the involvement of the Environmental Law Clinic (ELC) and WildEarth Guardians along with several Lamar citizens in the filing of a lawsuit against the plant's operators under the U.S. Clean Air Act.

ELC Director and Professor Mike Harris said, "There's always a little bit of a disconnect between what the legal claims are in a case like this and what it's about from the perspective of people living in the shadow of a coal-fired power plant. But the case is still about building a coal-fired plant in the middle of Lamar, less than a mile from five schools."

The lead student ELC attorneys who handled the case last year were Allison Vetter and Ahson Wall. This year's lead student attorneys are Myra Gottl and Todd Likman, who are scheduled to file the last of the summary judgment briefs today. Professor Harris said that all of the student attorneys have done "a wonderful job" on the case.