Opponents say Clean Energy is the Future as Coal Plant Plans are Scrapped.
Mary Kuhlman, Managing Editor
Friday, November 27, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Residents, ratepayers and environmentalists are reacting to the news that American Municipal Power (AMP) is scrapping plans to build a coal-fired power plant along the Ohio river in Meigs County. The Sierra Club of Ohio is among the groups who had voiced opposition to the plant, saying it wasn't needed and would cost ratepayers a lot of unnecessary expense.
Sierra Club spokesman Nachy Kanfer says it was a tough, but correct move.
"That decision will benefit all of us who breathe in Ohio and the planet as it's being roasted by coal and other fossil fuels, so we congratulate AMP for making that call. We look forward to working with them to meet their power needs and help them move Ohio forward toward a clean energy future."
The coal industry claims that coal is a cheap source of energy, but that wasn't the case this time around, says Kanfer.
"This plant went from 1.5 billion dollars to 2.5 billion dollars to 3.25 billion dollars; almost 4 billion including financing and then the company announced a 37-percent cost increase over that figure."
This is the 109th coal-fired plant across the country that has been canceled over the past several years due to either financial or environmental concerns, he adds.
"Utilities in Ohio and across the country are discovering that coal is not the energy source of the future. The energy source of the future is clean energy, and hopefully this is the first step for Ohio in moving in that direction as well."
AMP says it based its decision to cancel plant construction on rising prices, and it might look into building a plant that uses a different fuel. The Sierra Club believes AMP and other power providers could save customers money and reduce emissions by investing in energy efficiency through sources such as hydropower, combined heat and power, or wind. Coal industry leaders have argued the state's economy relies on coal, as it employs over three thousand people and is the state's number-one energy source.
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