The Hempstead County Hunting Club filed a lawsuit to stop Southwestern Electric Power Co. from building its proposed plant near Fulton in Hempstead County. The hearing is set for Thursday afternoon in federal court in Texarkana.

The group accuses Swepco of failing to obtain the necessary permits for construction. Swepco has begun some site work for the plant. Chief Operating Officer Venita McCellon-Allen said the utility company wants to do that so construction can begin as soon as they receive an air-quality permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.

Opponents argue that the 600-megawatt plant would hurt the environment.

Swepco is also building a natural-gas fired plant at its Arsenal Hill site near downtown Shreveport.

From The Associated Press