The group, along with the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Natural Resources Defense Council and Respiratory Health Association, filed the complaint in Peoria on April 18, naming Ameren and its Bartonville subsidiary as plaintiffs.

The groups said the particulate pollution had exceeded regulatory limits for several years, as per reports it requested and received from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

“Opacity is one way of measuring particle pollution,” Environmental Law and Policy Center attorney Andrew Armstrong said.

“Ameren has more than 1000 opacity violations, indicating that they have poured too much of this dangerous pollution into Central Illinois communities.”

The center also cited research from the Clean Air Task Force that said the facility, constructed in the 1960s, contributed to seven premature deaths, 10 heart attacks and more than 100 asthma attacks each year.

“It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Edwards plant is a pollution problem and Ameren is on the hook to fix it,” Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Ann Alexander said.

“Ameren has dragged their feet on making the necessary improvements for far too long.

“If they can afford to upgrade their equipment, then they should.

“If not, they shouldn’t be operating this plant … and nor should anyone else.”

Though it told the Associated Press that a public statement would be forthcoming, Ameren had not released comment on the move by press time.

Ameren and its subsidiaries serve more than 2 million electricity and natural gas customers in Illinois and Missouri and its plants generate a net capacity of about 16,000 megawatts.