Jun. 30--An environmental group and four Maryland residents announced Monday that they have sued the operator of a coal-fired power plant in Prince George's County, alleging that the facility is releasing illegal and harmful amounts of particle pollution into the region's air.

In the lawsuit, the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the four residents ask the U.S. District Court in Baltimore to assess civil penalties against Atlanta-based Mirant Corp.

They also want the court to order Mirant to halt the emissions, either by installing additional air pollution controls or by stopping the burning of low-grade fuel oil in two of its power units, which the plaintiffs contend causes the problem.

"These violations add even more fine particle pollution to the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore area, which is already flunking federal air quality standards," Eric Schaeffer, director of the Environmental Integrity Project, said in a statement accompanying the announcement. The Washington-based group joined a Washington law firm in filing the lawsuit on behalf of the climate group and residents.

The groups claim that two of the supplementary power units at Chalk Point have burned tens of millions of gallons of "residual fuel oil," a fuel that is less expensive but also dirtier than natural gas.

The groups say a 2006 study by Harvard University's public health school shows that particle pollution from the Chalk Point plant can impair the breathing of people living within 248 miles of the plant. They are seeking what could be millions of dollars in penalties, alleging that particle emissions from the plant exceeded federal limits on hundreds of days over the last several years.

A Mirant spokeswoman, Misty Allen, said the company had not seen the lawsuit and declined to comment.

Dawn Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of the Environment, said state regulators are considering enforcement action against Mirant for the particle emissions from one of the burners in question, but consider the other one to be in compliance.

The state last took action against the Chalk Point plant three years ago, requiring it to burn natural gas during most of the summer to prevent another pollutant, ozone, which can reach harmful levels on hot, sunny days.

However, Jennifer Peterson, an attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project, said there is nothing keeping the plant from burning residual fuel oil the rest of the year.

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