Power plants must be pushed on fish kills

Now that the nation's highest court has opened the way for aging power plants to avoid going to any great lengths to protect fish, Congress and the new president must have a clear say in the matter. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court says the government can, indeed, weigh costs against benefits in deciding whether to order power plants to undertake expensive upgrades that would halt the devastating effects of their water-cooling systems. ... "Closed cycle'' cooling is the industry standard when new power plants are built nowadays. Environmental groups have understandably argued that if older plants are going to operate well into the future (indeed, in some cases well beyond their original intent) regulators should demand upgrades that use the best technology available as well.

Poughkeepsie Journal