The single biggest air polluter in the entire state of Washington is the state’s one and only coal-fired power plant. The operating permit for the coal plant, which is in Centralia, was recently renewed without needed upgrades to protect the air and the people living nearby who breathe it. Earthjustice attorney Janette Brimmer has been working hard to get the permit pulled back and updated with better pollution standards to clean up the air.

Brimmer told a state board that the 40 year old coal burner has no controls for greenhouse gases and mercury and no additional controls for nitrogen oxide, the source of haze that limits visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. She said the permit should be revoked and reworked to address the air pollution spewing from the plant.

See how one TV station covered the hearing (video after the jump) or read what the Olympian newspaper had to say.