No monetary penalty is involved. IPL has agreed to reduce its particulate emissions by cutting back on the amount of coal used to fire one of its boilers until that boiler is converted to cleaner burning coke-oven gas or natural gas. IPL will do stack tests and additional reporting to ensure compliance. Additional stack testing and reporting should help ensure protection of human health and the environment near this plant. Inhaling high concentrations of particulates can affect children, the elderly, and people with heart and lung diseases the most.
Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain.
Exposure to sulfur dioxide can impair breathing, aggravate existing respiratory diseases like bronchitis, and reduce the ability of the lungs to clear foreign particles.