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Tenaska Pennsylvania Partners LLC is applying for an operating permit for the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station, a 940-megawatt natural gas power plant near Smithton, which emits nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and an estimated 3.7 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. A public hearing by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will take place on February 4 to discuss emissions monitoring and compliance with air quality standards.

The plant has been operating under a permit issued in 2015 and began producing power in December 2018. The Environmental Integrity Project has raised concerns over the draft permit's monitoring requirements, while local residents have expressed no significant issues with the plant. The DEP is also accepting comments on the renewal of Tenaska's water permit, which seeks to discharge 1.2 million gallons of water per day into the Youghiogheny River.