In a deal with Florida state regulators, Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) yesterday agreed to spend $1 billion over 10 years to reduce pollution spewing from its smokestacks. The two parties said the deal — which calls for three of six coal-fired generators to be scrapped and the others to be converted to natural gas — would go a long way toward improving the environment in a county where coal-fired plants cause twice as much pollution as traffic. But the feds and enviro groups attacked the agreement, saying it lets TECO off the hook too easily after years of non-compliance with the Clean Air Act. A top EPA official said his agency will continue to pursue a lawsuit against TECO and six other coal-burning companies.
