June 26: AEP backs out of FutureGen project
Pullout puts "clean" power plant plans in jeopardy
COLUMBUS -- "Columbus-based American Electric Power has backed out of a plan to help build the world's first 'clean' coal-fired power plant. It joins Atlanta-based Southern Co. in dropping out of an alliance to build the FutureGen plan in Illinois. Both companies citied the bad economy and growing cost of the project. AEP was a founding member of the FutureGen Alliance, a coalition of coal and power companies that formed in 2006 to build the plant. There are now nine members. The proposed FutureGen power plant is supposed to test new technologies to filter out and capture carbon dioxide, a gas linked to global warming. The project, whose price tag has grown from $1 billion to $2.4 billion, has teetered since its inception," Spencer HUnt, Columbus Dispatch.
June 24: AMP receives final ‘critical’ permit
LETART FALLS -- "Yesterday the United
States Army Corps of Engineers approved a 404 permit for the American
Municipal Power-Ohio Generating Station proposed for Letart Falls — the
last major permit for the 1,000 megawatt coal-fired power plant. AMPGS’
air and national pollutant discharge elimination system permits remain
under appeal by various opponents... Section 404 of the Federal Clean
Water Act regulates the discharge of dredged, excavated, or fill material
in wetlands, streams, rivers, and other U.S. waters. The US Army Corps of
Engineers is the federal agency authorized to issue Section 404 Permits
for certain activities conducted in wetlands or other US waters,'" Beth
Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel. June 22: This is green energy?
State redefines environmental terms to clean up what some critics call dirty power sources
COLUMBUS -- "When it comes to new sources
of electricity, the terms advanced and renewable are generally used to
describe pollution-free energy, including solar, wind and water. But the
state has expanded its green vocabulary to include a proposed Meigs County
coal-fired power plant and a proposed Piketon nuclear power plant on its
list of 'advanced' energy sources... Environmentalists say state officials
have reneged on a deal struck last year to create more clean power. 'These
aren't green sources of energy,' quipped Jack Shaner, of the Ohio
Environmental Council. 'They're much more brown,'" Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Published June 21.June 17: Ohio watchdog: Utility upgrade costs need controls
 Janine Migden-Ostrander |
June 12: Opponents disagree with AMP bridge loan
COLUMBUS -- "Not surprisingly, opponents of the $3.25 billion American
Municipal Power-Ohio Generation Station are not supportive of the $30
million bridge loan the state of Ohio recently approved to assist in
developing the project. The bridge loan is funded from the $150 million
advanced energy portion of the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan. The
official announcement was made this week by Gov. Ted Strickland and Ohio
Air Quality Development Authority Executive Director Mark Shanahan. The
OAQDA is the state agency responsible for administering the program’s
funds," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
June 11: Letters decry planned coal power plant
Niles would help pay for construction of facility
NILES -- "Dozens of letters were sent to city officials from residents protesting last year's decision to back a plan by the city to support the building of a coal-powered electricity plant along the Ohio River. 'AMP Ohio has hydro and wind power projects going, and that's great,' said Liz Ilg of Ohio Citizen Action, an environmental organization that's opposing the project. 'But this coal plant takes away from that focus...' She said the group is opposing the project not only because it is a coal plant, but because the project has potential negative consequences for tax payers. The costs of the project aren't known, Ilg said. 'Many rate payers have no idea their city councils have gotten them into this,' she said," Amanda Smith-Teutsch, Warren Tribune Chronicle.
June 10: AMP-Ohio power plant to get loan
Interest-free aid set for coal-fired facility
AKRON -- "The new coal-fired
power plant planned in southern Ohio is getting a $30 million bridge loan
from the state of Ohio. The five-year, no-interest loan for American
Municipal Power-Ohio's $3.1 billion plant near Racine in Meigs County was
announced today by Gov. Ted Strickland and Mark Shanahan of the Ohio Air
Quality Development Authority... The project has come under fire from
several environmental groups. Critics say the plant will contribute to
global warming, and they call its anti-pollution system unproven and less
effective," Bob Downing, Akron Beacon Journal.
COLUMBUS -- AMP-Ohio’s Meigs County project gets state stimulus loan, Columbus Business First.
COLUMBUS -- AMP receives $30 million bridge loan, Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
June 8: AMP reacts to latest public hearing
POMEROY -- "A public informational session and hearing held by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency regarding a permit modification for American Municipal Power-Ohio’s air permit-to-install on June 2 provided the public a chance to speak, and now AMP-Ohio is reacting. 'From our perspective we thought it went well,' Kent Carson, AMP-Ohio communications director said. 'We’re happy with the people who came out in support of the project and appreciated that.' Carson also said he felt not all of the comments made by those who were questioning the modification were 'germane to the administration modification which was the purpose of the hearing,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel. Published June 6.
June 4: Analysis finds elevated risk from soot particles in the air
NEW YORK, NY -- "A new appraisal of existing studies documenting the links between tiny soot particles and premature death from cardiovascular ailments shows that mortality rates among people exposed to the particles are twice as high as previously thought. Dan Greenbaum, the president of the nonprofit Health Effects Institute, which is releasing the analysis on Wednesday, said that the areas covered in the study included 116 American cities, with the highest levels of soot particles found in areas including the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles and the Central Valley of California; Birmingham, Ala.; Atlanta; the Ohio River Valley; and Pittsburgh... A variety of sources produce fine particles, and they include diesel engines, automobile tires, coal-fired power plants and oil refineries," Felicity Barringer, New York Times. Published June 2.
June 3: Thunder rolls at AMP meeting
RACINE -- "The purpose of last night’s meeting was to have an informational session on and public hearing about what the Ohio EPA calls a draft modification to the AMP-Ohio air permit-to-install which was approved in 2008... Though AMP-Ohio and the Ohio EPA called the modification 'administrative,' people like Nancy Kanfer with the Sierra Club said by using that 'administrative' terminology, this was a missed opportunity to fix problems in the draft permit modification. At the meeting, Kanfer said Meigs as well as surrounding counties were 'overburdened by hazardous air pollutants,' adding he was particularly concerned about the affect and inclusion of manganese as one of those pollutants permitted, citing this as a public health issue. Kanfer asked that every measure be taken to protect the public health, adding he felt not everything had been done to reduce pollutants in the draft. Rachael Belz from Ohio Citizen Action also spoke, saying there were aspects of the draft permit modification that her organization was appalled by and spoke about her concerns in regards to mercury emissions that could affect the Ohio River," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
- Testimony from Rachael Belz, Ohio Citizen Action.
May 27: Ohio Citizen Action finds no evidence of "competition" between Ohio and West Virginia for proposed coal plant
CLEVELAND -- "Ohio Citizen Action executive
director Sandy Buchanan wrote
Governor Ted Strickland today to tell him that there is no indication
that the State of Ohio has been in competition with the State of West
Virginia for AMP-Ohio's proposed coal plant. Competition between states is
a commonly-used rationale to justify the use of tax dollars to subsidize
private projects. AMP-Ohio has repeatedly stated that building its plant
is contingent on 'succcessful negotations for state and local
incentives,' but the State of Ohio has not yet produced a subsidy
package. Ohio Citizen Action had obtained public records from the State of Ohio
earlier this year quoting a top Ohio official's letter to AMP-Ohio in 2005
reflecting his understanding that 'The State of Ohio is in competition
with the State of West Virginia for this project.' In his reply, AMP-Ohio
President Marc Gerken stated, 'As you note in your letter, alternative
sites and options outside the State of Ohio are being considered should
the organization determine it is not in the best interests of our members
to site the facility at our preferred location.' Ohio Citizen Action's
recent investigation found that key West Virginia officials have no
documents referring to the proposed AMP-Ohio project," Ohio Citizen Action.
- Memo,
Ohio Citizen Action.
May 26: AMP hearing on emission regulations
 A protester holds a sign in front of AMP-Ohio last year. |
May 19: Ohio Citizen Action says JPMorgan Chase should not fund AMP-Ohio plant or mountaintop removal mining
CLEVELAND -- "Ohio Citizen Action Executive
Director Sandy Buchanan will join Larry Gibson, President of Keeper of the
Mountains Foundation, and members of Sierra Club, Rainforest Action
Network, and NYPIRG today at the JPMorgan Chase shareholders meeting in
New York City. The groups are all calling for an end to JPMorgan Chase's
financing of the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plants and mountaintop removal
coal mining," Ohio Citizen Action.
- The proposed
AMP-Ohio coal plant: A bad deal for electric customers and a financial
risk JPMorgan Chase should not take
- Letter from Gene
Saffold of JPMorgan Chase to Marc Gerken, CEO of AMP-Ohio
May 15: Groups to rally at JPMorgan Chase shareholder meeting
NEW YORK, NY -- "On Tuesday dozens of New Yorkers and consumer and environmental leaders from West Virginia and Ohio will rally outside the JPMorgan Chase shareholder meeting and then take their message inside to CEO Jamie Dimon, one of the leading financiers of coal plants and mountaintop removal coal mining. Despite Mr. Dimon’s rhetoric on the need for clean energy and strong environmental policies, JPMorgan Chase continues to underwrite Massey Energy, one of the biggest and most heavily criticized mountaintop removal coal mining companies in the country.. JP Morgan Chase also continues to fund expensive and highly polluting coal plants throughout the United States, including the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant, one of the most financially risky in the country," press release, Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign.
May 12: TVA sends spilled coal ash to impoverished black communities in Georgia and Alabama
DURHAM, NC -- "The Tennessee Valley Authority has begun shipping toxic coal ash from the massive spill that occurred last December at its Kingston power plant in east Tennessee's Roane County to landfills in the neighboring states of Georgia and Alabama as part of a test to determine a final resting place for the waste. The counties where the ash is going have large black populations and high poverty rates, raising questions about environmental justice," Facing South, The Institute for Southern Studies.
May 12: Group claims cancer risk high around Conesville power plant
CONESVILLE -- "The Columbus & Southern Power Co.’s plant at Conesville, a division of American Electric Power Co., is one of 12 power plants in Ohio listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as showing a high risk for cancer of those living nearby, according to Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice... The data released shows a landfill at the Conesville plant, which covers 300 acres with a capacity of 10 million cubic feet for its waste, has no leachate collection system and no groundwater monitoring. Such dump sites pose a higher risk for area residents who get their drinking water from wells, according to the study," Dover-New Philadelphia Times-Reporter.
May 12: Group tries to wash coal windows, but police say no
COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Student Environment Coalition took action Monday to protest American Municipal Power's plans to build a 1,000-megawatt coal plant in Meigs County. The OSEC, a statewide coalition made up of student groups from numerous universities in Ohio, planned to wash the corporation's windows. 'The idea of the action was to help AMP-Ohio see the light,' said Matthew Reitman, coordinator of the coalition. 'We wanted them to see that they have the wrong approach and to help them see the error of their ways.' ...Despite this minor setback, two members of the coalition were able to go inside and speak with representatives from AMP-Ohio," Megan Savage, The Lantern.
May 8: Secret EPA study: Big cancer risks from coal-ash ponds
CHARLESTON, WV -- "Environmental groups called Thursday for tighter regulation of waste from burned coal by releasing a new report that shows a high risk of cancer for people living near waste storage sites, including about a dozen in Ohio. The sites posing the greatest risk are 72 ponds that include both coal ash and other waste from burning coal. Five of these are in Ohio, including one at Duke Energy's Walter C. Beckjord Power Plant in New Richmond, about 22 miles east of Cincinnati. The Beckjord site stores coal ash in an above-ground pond and also in a landfill; neither has a liner," Ken Ward, Jr., Coal Tattoo, Charleston Gazette.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Group: Ohio home to coal ash danger, Bill Theobald and Malia Rulon, Cincinnati Enquirer.
COLUMBUS -- Coal ash health risks, Spencer Hunt, Dark Matter, Columbus Dispatch.
May 7: Coming Clean: What EPA knows about the dangers of coal ash
The sun shines off a surface impoundment at Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire, Ohio. (Photo courtesy of John Zieran, permission granted for reproduction)
CINCINNATI -- "The Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice released an analysis of an EPA risk assessment that shows extremely high cancer and non-cancer risks for people living near coal waste storage sites. The report reveals that people living near these sites face a higher than expected risk of cancer, as well as damage to their liver, kidneys, and central nervous system due to elevated levels of arsenic, boron, cadmium, cobalt, lead, and other toxics in drinking water contaminated by coal-ash dumps. Thirteen sites in Ohio were named in the report, including AMP-Ohio's Gorsuch plant in Marietta, AEP's Gavin plant and Ohio Valley Electric Cooperative's Kyger Creek plants both in Cheshire, and five plants in the Greater Cincinnati area on the Ohio River," Rachael Belz, Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
May 6: Experts weigh toxic threat from coal ash
New regulations may consider it hazardous waste
LEXINGTON, KY -- "A senior U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official told utility industry officials and academic researchers yesterday that national regulations on handling ash from coal-fired power plants are coming - and they may include classifying the material as hazardous waste. 'That issue is squarely on the table,' said Matt Hale, director of the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response - due in part to the massive coal ash spill in eastern Tennessee last December, which spread 5.4 million cubic feet of ash sludge from a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant across 300 acres. 'The catastrophe at TVA changed the discussion and focused the discussion,' Hale said," James Bruggers, Louisville Courier-Journal.
May 5: AMP meeting to focus on new regulations
Students demonstrate against the AMP-Ohio plant in Washington D.C. in March.
RACINE -- "The upcoming meeting/hearing on a draft permit modification to American Municipal Power-Ohio’s air permit will focus on federal regulations that were not in existence when the air permit was made final in February 2008. The agency who approved the final air permit, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, will be the ones considering the draft modification to apply Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) to AMP-Ohio’s project. The original permit used the guidelines of the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), a federal law which was also overturned last year. The previous air permit was written assuming the mercury rule was still in place. MACT requirements are applicable to the emissions of hazardous air pollutants such as mercury, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, etc.,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
May 4: Gas consortium not paying off
Suburbs using marketer stuck with higher rates through 2009
COLUMBUS -- "During the past four years, the unfavorable rates mean that participating households paid an average of $364 more than if they had bought gas from Columbia. The figure is based on average monthly usage in Columbia territory multiplied by the difference in rates. That difference, multiplied by the number of households in the group each year, adds up to overpayments of $9.7 million, according to an analysis of data provided by AMP-Ohio... 'No one has ever said about this program that we will guarantee the lowest price,' said Kent Carson, spokesman for AMP-Ohio, which is based in Columbus. 'It does bring predictability and stability to a price, and the other thing is that people who sign up can get out whenever they want,'" Dan Gearino, Columbus Dispatch.
May 4: Coal plans collapse: Mid-Michigan cancels plant
Midland Plant part of national trend; casts doubt on coal’s economic viability
Site of the proposed plant
CHICAGO, IL -- "Mid-Michigan Energy announced the suspension of plans to build a 750-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Midland, Michigan today. The decision to drop the proposed plant continues a national trend away from coal due to economic and environmental liabilities... Following are comments from Shannon Fisk, staff attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): 'The announcement shows what we have said all along: conventional, dirty coal is not economically or environmentally viable in today’s world. It’s too expensive, too polluting, and will stand in the way of the state’s progress toward a renewed economy built up with cutting-edge green jobs,'" press release, National Resources Defense Council. Published May 1.
NEW YORK, NY -- LS suspends development of Mich. coal power plant, Reuters, Published May 1.
MIDLAND, MI -- Midland plant cancellation calls Bay County project into question, Bay City Times, Published May 1.
May 1: Air gets an 'F'
Dirty air nets region, state, a failing grade
 A section of the AMP power station along Ohio 7 at sunset Tuesday. (Mitch Casey/Marietta Times) |
MARIETTA -- "The American Lung Association's 2009 State of the Air report indicates little progress has been made on improving air quality in Washington County and throughout the state of Ohio... Melissa English, with the grassroots environmental advocacy group Ohio Citizen Action, said the 2009 State of the Air report was not surprising and should be a call to action. 'The people who are charged with protection of our public health need to act more swiftly to address these issues,' she said. 'Southeast Ohio is among the worst areas in the state for air pollutants. 'It's important to put pressure on politicians and regulators to make the changes necessary to improve our air quality, but let's also not continue to build more coal-fired power plants that are the major sources of ozone pollution,'" English said," Sam Shawver, Marietta Times.
May 1: EPA identifies potentially dangerous coal ash sites
WASHINGTON, DC -- "Forty-four potentially dangerous coal ash impoundment sites around the country - similar to where a massive spill occurred last December in East Tennessee - have been identified by the Environmental Protection Agency, an agency official testified Thursday. Barry Breen, an acting assistant administrator for the EPA, said at a House subcommittee hearing that a breach at any of the impoundment sites could cause damage downhill. Next month, the EPA will begin sending inspectors to those and all of the approximately 400 sites where wet coal ash is stored," Bill Theobald, WBIR.
WILLIAMSON, WV -- West Virginia judge seeks to resolve coal pollution case, Vickie Smith, Associated Press.
Apr 29: EPA alleges violations at Gorsuch plant
MARIETTA -- "The U.S. EPA has issued a notice of violation to AMP-Ohio, Inc. and Elkem Metals, Inc., alleging that the two companies violated provisions of the Clean Air Act and New Source Review by making emissions-increasing modifications to the Richard H. Gorsuch Generating Station without acquiring the proper permits or installing needed emissions control equipment. The aging 194 megawatt power plant, built in 1950, is located just outside of Marietta, Ohio and is now owned entirely by AMP-Ohio. U.S. EPA alleges that the violations took place between 1981 and 1991 when both companies made various physical changes to the plant resulting in significantly increased emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter," Tom Lotshaw, Marietta Register.
COLUMBUS -- Hearing scheduled on AMP-Ohio draft permit, Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
MARIETTA -- AMP-Ohio under investigation, Lauren Keeling, WTAP.
Apr 28: Milan resident writes city council about proposed coal plant
Apr 27: EPA hits pollution-spewing power plant near Marietta
COLUMBUS -- "A coal-fired power plant near
Marietta has violated the Clean Air Act since at least 1991, according to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The 58-year-old Richard H.
Gorsuch power plant is small compared with the hulking generating stations
up and down the Ohio River. But the government's accusation that the
213-megawatt plant has spewed too much pollution that helps create smog,
soot and acid rain could mean big trouble for American Municipal Power...
Sandy Buchanan, director of Ohio Citizen
Action, an environmental advocacy group, said American Municipal
Power officials had their heads in the sand. 'I don't think ignorance is a
defense in this case,' Buchanan said. 'It's not like it's a surprise that
the EPA was working its way through these (power) plants,'" Spencer Hunt,
Columbus Dispatch.COLUMBUS -- Small power plants in danger, Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Published April 26.
Apr 24: No need to build new U.S. coal or nuclear plants -- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman
Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
WASHINGTON, DC -- "No new nuclear or coal plants may ever be needed in the United States, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said today. 'We may not need any, ever,' Jon Wellinghoff told reporters at a U.S. Energy Association forum. . . . Wellinghoff said renewables like wind, solar and biomass will provide enough energy to meet baseload capacity and future energy demands. Nuclear and coal plants are too expensive, he added. 'I think baseload capacity is going to become an anachronism,' he said. 'Baseload capacity really used to only mean in an economic dispatch, which you dispatch first, what would be the cheapest thing to do. Well, ultimately wind's going to be the cheapest thing to do, so you'll dispatch that first.' He added, 'People talk about, 'Oh, we need baseload.' It's like people saying we need more computing power, we need mainframes. We don't need mainframes, we have distributed computing.'
"Wellinghoff's statement -- if it reflects Obama administration policy -- would be a huge blow to the U.S. nuclear power industry, which has been hoping for a nuclear 'renaissance' based on the capacity of nuclear reactors to generate power without greenhouse gas emissions. 'I think [new nuclear expansion] is kind of a theoretical question, because I don't see anybody building these things, I don't see anybody having one under construction,' Wellington said. Building nuclear plants is cost-prohibitive, he said, adding that the last price he saw was more than $7,000 a kilowatt -- more expensive than solar energy," Noelle Straub and Peter Behr, Energy and Environment News, April 22, 2009, subscription required for full text.
Apr 24: Citizens action founder says coal-fired plants cost lives
NEW
CONCORD -- "Although Meigs County is only two hours from New Concord,
local residents might be surprised to hear that they are living so close
to an area that has the highest number of adults suffering from asthma and
the highest death rate for lung and bronchus cancer in Ohio, according to
the most recent data in 'Ohio Cancer Facts and Figures 2008.' Meigs County
is home to four coal-fired power plants in an approximate 10-mile radius
in Ohio and West Virginia. Community members are actively resisting the
threat to create up to five more proposed coal-fired plants in the area.
Leading this fight is Elisa Young, a seventh-generation Appalachian and
founder of the community activist group Meigs Citizens Action Now! Young
spoke at the college as part of Muskingum’s Environmental Student
Activists sponsored Green Week," Rachel Thompson, Muskingum College Black & Magenta. Published
April 17.Apr 22: AMP-Ohio in hot water with EPA
Richard H. Gorsuch Generating Station is a coal-fired power station owned and operated by American Municipal Power - Ohio near Marietta, Ohio.
MARIETTA -- "The federal Environmental Protection Agency is alleging illegal repairs and upgrades were made to the nearly 60-year-old AMP-Ohio coal-fired power plant near Marietta to keep the facility operational and exempt from tighter emission standards. American Municipal Power-Ohio and previous plant owner Elkem Metals failed to apply for special permits or to install the best available pollution control technology as part of repairs and modifications at the Gorsuch Generating Station on Ohio 7, just south of Marietta, according to the notice of violation, which was filed last month in Chicago," Brad Bauer, Marietta Times.
Apr 20: U.S. EPA finds AMP-Ohio is violating the Clean Air Act at its Gorsuch Coal Plant in Marietta
CHICAGO, IL -- "[The U.S.] EPA has
determined that AMP-Ohio is violating the Prevention of Significant
Deterioration requirements under Section 165 of the [Clean Air] Act, 42
U.S.C. § 7475, Non-attainment New Source Review, Sections 171 — 193 of the
Act, 42 U.S.C. 7501-7515, New Source Performance Standards, Section HI of
the Act, 42 U.S.C. § 7411, and the Operating Permit requirements under
Title V of the Act, 42 U.S:C. 7661 — 7661e at its Richard H. Gorsuch
Generating Station located near Marietta, Ohio," Notice and Finding of
Violation, U.S. EPA Region V, March 30, 2009.The Gorsuch Station is the only coal plant AMP-Ohio currently owns. AMP-Ohio staff in Columbus, led by President Marc Gerken, are pushing for the organization to build another coal plant, five times larger than Gorsuch, in Meigs County, Ohio.
Apr 16: Daffodils a ghostly reminder of the lost town of Cheshire, Ohio
These recent photos show daffodils growing along the perimeter of houses now vanished in Cheshire, Ohio. The nearby AEP Gavin coal plant had been giving off blue sulphuric clouds resulting in heavy soot and milky chemical fog, and the neighbors took AEP to court. The company's response, in 2002, was to buy out and level the whole town. AEP neglected to uproot the daffodils, which come up around this time every year as a reminder of the community AEP destroyed.
Apr 13: Representative Vernon Sykes responds to letters opposing AMP coal plant
COLUMBUS -- "Thank you for your
letter of concern regarding the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant in Meigs
County. Not only do I appreciate hearing the views of citizens all around
our state, but it is also encouraging to see that there are so many
Ohioans concerned about the environment. I will be sure to keep your
thoughts in mind as we move forward to consider this proposal. Please do
not hesitate to contact my office again with this or any future concern,
and thank you again for taking the time to write to me," State
Representative Vernon Sykes, 44th Ohio House
District.1,565 taxpayers have written Rep. Vernon Sykes, Finance and Appropriations Committee Chairman, opposing AMP-Ohio's coal plant from receiving any future subsidies from the state of Ohio.
Apr 2: AMP plant opponents speak out on appeals
COLUMBUS -- "The NRDC, an environmental group with offices across the nation, is leading the legal fight for the appeal of AMP-Ohio’s final air permit-to-install and final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, both approved final by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. So why is this group taking the charge to fight the AMPGS? 'NRDC believes that there are far better options for power generation in Meigs County and the State of Ohio,' Josh Mogerman, spokesperson for the NRDC said. 'A focus on energy efficiency, wind, and solar is a clear direction for our national policy that can pay real dividends in Ohio, where the new industries would likely create strong manufacturing jobs. These technologies offer huge potential payoffs throughout the state without the public health dangers that will burden the people who would have to live near this coal plant for the next half century,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Apr 1: Hearings for AMP appeals stretch into 2010
COLUMBUS -- "The latest hearing regarding
the latest appeal of a permit for the proposed American Municipal Power
Generating Station stretches into 2010. According to the Ohio
Environmental Review Appeals Commission’s website and Natural Resources
Defense Council, a prehearing conference has been set for 10 a.m., Jan.
20, 2010 in regards to the appeal of American Municipal Power-Ohio’s
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. The appeal was
filed by the NRDC, Ohio Environmental Council, and Sierra Club. The actual
de novo hearing on the appeal is scheduled for 10 a.m., Jan. 25-Jan. 29,
2010 in Columbus," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.Mar 31: Slicing up the energy pie
Controversy still brews after city council approved 50-year contract to build coal-fired power plant
BOWLING GREEN -- "A controversial and complex issue is electrifying the city of Bowling Green. In October 2007, Bowling Green signed a 50-year contract to build a coal power plant in Meigs County in Southeastern Ohio to be opened in 2013. Since 2007, several organizations and community members have voiced their opinions on the issue saying they do not support the city’s decision to sign the contract. .. Once the ordinance passed, Ohio Citizen Action, a non-profit organization, heard about the plant and immediately realized they needed to take action. 'We really don’t believe this power plant is needed,' said Rachael Belz, an organizer with Ohio Citizen Action. 'Personally, I would like to be working in the opposite, directing and cleaning up the current coal plants in Ohio,'" Ella Fowler, Bowling Green News.
Mar 23: AMP-Ohio project said a go despite recession
NEW YORK, NY -- "AMP spokesman Kent Carson told Platts on Wednesday that his company does not plan to seek final financing for the Meigs County project until sometime in 2010 when, it is hoped, financial markets will have turned around," Platts Coal Trader. Published March 20. Access fee, no link.
LETART FALLS -- Landfill OK'd for power plant, AMP's $3.3B project to open by '13, Toledo Blade.
Mar 23: Critics rap coal-slurry storage
Claim chemicals, metals leak into aquifers, polluting water
West Virginia state Sen. Randy White (right), a Democrat, speaks in support of the Coal Sludge Safety Project's clean groundwater objectives in the state, which permits 15 companies to inject coal slurry into old mines.
MORGANTOWN, WV -- "Regulators in a handful of Appalachian states that let coal companies inject slurry into abandoned mines say they are confident the practice is safe, but an Associated Press survey shows they lack scientific data to answer citizens who believe aquifers, water wells and their own health are at risk... An e-mail survey of environmental regulators in West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Ohio found none of the states tracks exactly how much slurry is pumped underground. 'There's just a complete lack of oversight by any of the agencies that are supposed to be regulating this,' activist Vivian Stockman of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition charges. 'In our opinion, this is hazardous waste and it should be regulated and monitored,'" Associated Press. Published March 22.
Mar 20: AMP reacts to latest permit approval
COLUMBUS -- "According to officials at American Municipal Power-Ohio, its proposed 'state-of-the-art' power plant in Letart Falls took another step forward with this week’s issuance of a final solid waste permit-to-install (PTI) from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The agency issued the PTI for the landfill, which will receive combustion waste from the American Municipal Power Generating Station (AMPGS) proposed for Letart Falls. AMPGS will supply power to 81 municipal electric systems in four states, who are partners in the project," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Mar 19: Young Wadsworth residents write city council about proposed coal plant
WADSWORTH --
"I do not want you to build a coal plant because i love the town I am
living in and I do not want dirty air... Instead of wasting all of your
money on something wasteful that we won't need soon - do it on something
that will help and that we won't lose - like wind mills and solar powers.
It may take longer but we will live longer," Lauren and Jenna, letters to
Wadsworth city councilman Tim Eberling.NEW YORK -- AMP-Ohio's new coal plant is a bad bond bet, Andy Stevenson, Natural Resources Defense Council, Posted December 9, 2008.
Mar 18: EPA approves AMP landfill permit
COLUMBUS -- "Yesterday the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved a final solid waste permit-to-install for a new landfill at American Municipal Power-Ohio’s proposed coal-fired power plant in Letart Falls. This was one of the last pending state permits to be approved for AMP-Ohio though its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System and Air Permits, approved final by the state, are currently under appeal by various opponents. In addition to the permits under appeal, AMP-Ohio still has to have its 404 water quality permit issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Mar 17: Ask the expert: Anti-coal activist Elisa Young
Why she is fighting the opening of more dirty power plants in Ohio
WASHINGTON, DC -- "Appalachia doesn’t exist
in the same America as the one recognizable from the streets of New York,
the cattle ranches of Texas, or the cornfields of Iowa. It is, to
paraphrase Michael Harrington’s The Other America, where King Coal reigns
supreme. Coal companies wield immense power over these mountains, and
their right to rule is largely unchallenged. Neither political party has
escaped coal’s influence, which makes it virtually impossible to legislate
against the industry But Elisa Young is trying anyway... Working with
students from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, Young has fought against
these new plants and the proposed coal mine. She has organized her
community and raised awareness about their troubles throughout the
country. Young has even received legal threats from American Municipal
Power as a result of her actions," Jake Blumgart, Campus Progress. Published March 16. Mar 17: Why clean coal is years away
Coal is here to stay, but efforts to cut emissions are ambitious, expensive, and have largely stumbled
WASHINGTON, DC -- "About 80 percent of the electricity sector's carbon dioxide emissions come from burning coal. A price on CO2 pollution , which Congress might impose as early as this year, is expected to be so costly that the mere prospect of it is already shaking things up. Some states have banned new coal plants, and many companies are canceling their plans in other places. The industry's greatest hope for survival, as far as CO2 emissions go, is a work-in-progress technological arsenal known as carbon capture and storage, or CCS. With all the makings—and risk—of a classic American gamble, it is in some ways the energy equivalent of missile defense. It's ambitious, expensive, intricate, and wildly controversial," Kent Garber, U.S. News and World Report.
Mar 16: Citizens do us all a favor by questioning AMP-Ohio
ATHENS -- "Just recently, American
Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio) threatened two citizen leaders and
activists with legal action, attempting to hush their opposition to the
building of a coal-fired power plant in Meigs County. Elisa Young is the
founder of Meigs Citizens Action Now, and Sandy Buchanan is the executive
director of Ohio Citizen Action. Both
women have claimed that this will not deter them in speaking out against
the coal plants and that they continue to make every effort to circumvent
false testimonies... The threats on Elisa Young and Sandy Buchanan are an
outrage and an infringement on their rights as United States citizens.
They are doing us all a service by speaking out about the harmful aspects
of AMP-Ohio's proposal," R. Josh Herzer, letter to the editor, Marietta Times. Published March 11. COLUMBUS -- Economy won’t faze AMP plant, Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel. Published March 15.
COLUMBUS -- AMP reassures members, answers critics, Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel. Published March 13.
Mar 16: Ohio, West Virginia ranked in National Resource Defense Council’s dirtiest 15
EAST LIVERPOOL -- "The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a press release Thursday that lists the top 15 states that will become the biggest polluters if proposed coal-fired power plants in those states become a reality. Both Ohio and West Virginia were included in the list. Ohio ranks eighth on the list, with its three proposed coal-fired power plants threatening to create a combined 711,616 tons of coal ash waste. West Virginia, also with three proposed plants, ranks 15th, with a combined total of 430,275 tons of coal ash waste. According to the NRDC, if the 54 total proposed plants in all 15 of the states listed become a reality, just under 14 million tons of coal ash waste would be produced each year," Jen Matsick, East Liverpool Review.
Mar 16: Feds target coal-fired pollution
Stricter rules likely to raise Ohio power rates
COLUMBUS -- "Coal is cheap and dirty. Expect both to change. A new federal push to reduce pollution and climate change could cost coal-fired power plants and consumers across the country, especially in Ohio. Ohioans pay less for their electricity than the national average, partly because nearly 90 percent of it comes from coal, which historically has been abundant and inexpensive. However, burning coal generates millions of tons of pollutants that federal officials want to cut to help clean our air, land and water," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Published March 13.
Mar 11: Kevin Deal of Dayton writes AMP-Ohio
DAYTON -- "Coal has been both the lifeblood and death knell of my family over the last hundred years. As the first male of my family that has not worked in a coal mine over that period, I have seen the effects first hand on a family that had no alternative but to work in the mines. Both my grandfathers and great uncles died of black lung. As a child I have the cold memories of my grandfather apologizing as he coughed up black soot into his handkerchief. Soot that eventually killed him. In this uncertain time of economic and credit crisis in the U.S., it would be better to cancel plans to build a coal-fired power plant and consider other alternatives. Communities shouldn't be locked into a 50-year contract for old, dirty coal technology, " Kevin Deal, letter to AMP-Ohio Treasurer, dated November 3, 2008.
ATHENS -- Green with Envy: Small additions to power plants not 'advanced energy', Cathy Wilson, The Post.
RACINE -- Green Ohio: Coal plant opposition, Ohio News Network.
Mar 10: AMP-Ohio President Marc Gerken defends his proposal to build a coal plant in Meigs County
COLUMBUS -- "The generation asset development strategy that AMP-Ohio is pursuing makes sense in every way. The groups opposing the [AMP-Ohio Generating Station] project have displayed a level of intellectual dishonesty that is beyond comprehension," Marc Gerken, President, American Municipal Power - Ohio, memo to AMP-Ohio Generating Station participating communities councils, dated March 5, 2009.
Mar 10: Elizabeth of Cuyahoga Falls writes AMP-Ohio
Mar 10: 4,000 Gallons of Sludge Dumps Into Potomac
LUKE, MD -- "About 4,000 gallons of potentially toxic fly ash sludge spilled into the Potomac River after a pipeline ruptured at a coal-burning power plant, Maryland environmental officials said Tuesday. Workers on Tuesday were cleaning up the spill on the West Virginia bank of the river's North Branch. The spill began about 8 p.m. Sunday and continued until 6 a.m. Monday, said Dawn Stoltzfus, spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of the Environment. She said the dime-sized hole was discovered by employees of NewPage Corp., which burns coal to produce electricity for its paper mill in Luke, about 150 miles west of Baltimore. The company stores the coal ash in a lagoon fed by three parallel pipelines that cross the river," Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, DC -- EPA launches study, review of coal ash storage sites and regulations in wake of spill, Dina Capiello, Associated Press.
Mar 9: Consultant says AMP-Ohio coal plant cost of $3.25 billion coal plant is still too low
CLEVELAND -- "AMP-Ohio's plans to build a coal-fired power plant in Meigs County do not adequately account for possible increases in costs of labor, project delays, and other factors, according to a report obtained by Ohio Citizen Action. Consultant Burns and Roe prepared the analysis for the committee of municipalities which is participating in building a proposed new coal plant in Meigs County. The Burns and Roe report, dated October 29, 2008, analyzed an October 2008 cost estimate for the project prepared by RW Beck. Ohio Citizen Action received both documents through public records reviews at participating municipalities. The Burns and Roe report says, 'The allowance for contingency is on the low side of what Burns and Roe would expect to see for Owner's contingency. Burns and Roe would normally use 5% of the total project cost when a firm fixed price EPC cost is available. Since a firm EPC price is not available, we recommend use of a 7% Owner's contingency at this time,' (p. 6). The 'Public Version' of the R.W. Beck study does not reveal the current level of the Owner's contingency. Every one percent increase in the contingency would increase the cost of the project by $32.5 million," Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Mar 9: Request made for ODOT records re: AMP
COLUMBUS -- "A public records request and subsequent complaint about the alleged untimely response of that request has been made by Ohio Citizen Action against the Ohio Department of Transportation. Ohio Citizen Action’s 'Money in Politics' project is searching for public records pertaining to American Municipal Power-Ohio’s 1,000 MW power plant proposed for Letart Falls. The original request for documents was made on Dec. 9, 2008 and on Feb. 23 Ohio Citizen Action received word that the no documentation involving AMP-Ohio was found in the District... [Catherine] Turcer wrote to Heather Sullivan of ODOT saying: 'Common sense tells us that no proposed project on the scale of a 1,000 MW coal plant could be planned without Ohio Department of Transportation involvement,'" Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Mar 9: Not worth the risks to health, environment
End dependence on destructive energy source
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- "Several times a day, a cloud of coal dust emanates from the tipple at the Goals Preparation Plant in West Virginia as another train car receives a payload of coal bound for North Carolina. The dust clouds frequently drift over toward the playground at Marsh Fork Elementary School, which sits less than 100 yards from the plant's coal silo. Pipes run from the preparation plant nearly 400 yards up an artificially tiered slope composed of waste from nearby strip mines... Pauline Canterbury describes the impact that the plant and nearby mines have had on her community: 'For the past eight years, life in the community of Sylvester, West Virginia, has been a living Hell of black-coal dust, nerve-shattering noises and broken promises, while we have watched our homes be destroyed, and respiratory illness invade our bodies,'" Matt Wasson, Winston-Salem Journal. Published March 8.
Mar 9: Coal shouldn't be part of energy future
DELAWARE -- "In regard to the Tuesday Dispatch article, 'New-age energy? Coal burner seeks state loan,' I remind readers that there is no such thing as clean coal, only less-dirty coal. If Ohio plans on investing in next-generation technology that is as clean as can be, then coal should not be a part of this investment. Even if we can capture soot and other pollutants from coal-fired plants, mining the coal and the enormous release of carbon dioxide are by no means clean. The fact that the economic recession is delaying the construction of new coal-fired power plants is a blessing, not a setback. Ohio should use this as an opportunity to invest in true advanced-energy projects, such as wind," Sara Nienaber, letter to the editor, Columbus Dispatch. Published February 27.
Mar 9: Companies rethink coal plants
WASHINGTON, DC -- "Even as demand for electricity rises, energy companies are delaying or scrapping plans for new coal-burning power plants because of the prospect of restrictions imposed by federal global warming legislation. Power use in the USA could grow 22% during the next 20 years, according to the Energy Department. To help keep the nation's laptops and TVs humming, dozens of new plants that burn coal — by far the nation's largest source of electricity — were in the works... 'What you have right now is uncertainty,' said Wayne Leonard, CEO of Entergy, a Fortune 500 power company. 'When you look at the risks around the coal plant at this time, it's very hard to justify,'" Traci Watson, USA Today.
Mar 6: Two views on the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant
Meigs County Commissioner Mick Davenport says yes:
Elisa Young says no:
Mar 6: Second coal-fired plant project canceled in Nevada
LAS VEGAS, NV -- "LS Power, the company behind the White Pine Energy Associates LLC coal-fired power plant in northern Nevada, said today it is 'indefinitely' postponing construction of the White Pine Energy Station near Ely. This is the second power company that has withdrawn its application for a coal-fired power plant in Nevada this year. NV Energy, Nevada's largest utility, also was applying to the commission for its own coal-fired plant near Ely, but was much earlier in the permitting process when it, too, withdrew its application this year. The cancellation is due 'to current economic conditions and increasing regulatory uncertainties,' the company said in a statement," Mary Manning, Las Vegas Sun.
Mar 5: United Mountain Defense get hassled over TVA air testing
ROANE COUNTY, TN -- "United Mountain Defense volunteers began setting up air monitors around the TVA ash disaster. We found one spot downwind that was perfect - and got permission from the local that lived there. Within minutes TVA and Roane County police came and detained our volunteers, questioned the person that lived on the land, questioned the owner of the land, read the lease agreement, questioned all of our volunteers and took their ID - snatched a camera out of one of our volunteers hands and ordered us to take down the air monitoring station. Why doesn't TVA want independent air monitors around the site?," United Mountain Defense.
Mar 5: A dirty lie
Waterkeeper Alliance unveils anti-coal campaign
WASHINGTON, DC -- "Right now the coal industry is engaged in a multi-million-dollar campaign propagating the lie that coal and so-called clean-coal technology are the answer to America's future energy needs. Nothing could be farther from the truth. There is no such thing as clean coal. Waterkeeper programs in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, and West Virginia have been fighting the coal industry for years. Now, they have joined together with the nearly 200 programs of Waterkeeper Alliance in a grassroots campaign called 'The Dirty Lie' - because none of us can afford to wait another minute to start creating a new national energy policy that frees us from a reliance on fossil fuels," Steve Fleischli and Scott Edwards, Waterkeeper Alliance.
Mar 5: Iowans can breathe easier:
Alliant Energy abandons Marshalltown coal plant proposal
DES MOINES, IA -- "Today, Alliant Energy pulled the plug on its plans to build a massive new coal-fired power plant in Marshalltown. 'We are pleased that Alliant Energy has decided not to pursue constructing yet another coal plant in Iowa. Given that the Marshalltown proposal would have added more pollution to our state for the next 40-50 years, this is a tremendous victory for public health and Iowas growing clean energy economy,' said Sierra Clubs Neila Seaman. Alliant made the right call in bringing this project to a halt. Sierra Club and many other environmental organizations across the state worked to oppose the Marshalltown project since it was first announced by Alliant in 2007," press release, RE-AMP.
Mar 4: AMP-Ohio should invest in clean power - not coal
COLUMBUS -- "I urge AMP not to build the proposed coal-fired plant in Meigs County, Ohio. Ohioans suffer higher than average rates of cancer, asthma, and other pollution-driven diseases. So instead of burning more coal, AMP should take the lead in developing clean power... Don't build a facility that will inevitably have to be retro-fitted or pulled down soon after it is built, due to changing environmental standards. Don't subject Ohioans to the dislocations this would cause once you have hooked thousands of them into the coal-powered grid. Start now to create a sustainable generation," Dan Baechlin, letter to Chris Easton, Director of Public Service, City of Wadsworth.
Mar 3: Photo gallery:
Toxic tour of Meigs County
The view across the street from the AEP's Gavin plant in Cheshire. In 2001, this area was full of homes. AEP bought them out and leveled the houses. Every year, daffodils emerge from the ground along the borders of what used to be the homes.
MEIGS COUNTY -- "A group of 30 Ohio Citizen Action staff travelled to Meigs County, Ohio on Tuesday, February 24th to witness pollution problems area residents are having with four power plants located within an 11.5 mile radius. Meigs residents have also been dealing with strip mining and underground mining issues, as well as pollution from a nearby manganese refinery and an aluminum foundry in West Virginia. The group took a toxic tour of the area led by Elisa Young of Meigs Citizens Action Now (Meigs CAN) and Larry Gibson, a veteran of the mountaintop removal coal fight. Ohio Citizen Action is fighting AMP-Ohio's proposal to build a new pulverized coal- fired power plant in Meigs County" Ohio Citizen Action.
Mar 3: A Capitol offense
Thousands protest against coal in front of D.C.'s Capitol Power Plant
WASHINGTON, DC -- "An estimated 2,500 people protested outside Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Power Plant on Monday -- the nation's largest act of civil disobedience against coal power. Anti-coal activists from all corners of the country braved the sub-freezing temperatures and six inches of snow the city received Sunday night... 'I think any time you have 2,500 people willing to take action and risk going to jail to stop a coal plant, it's a good thing,' Michael Brune of the Rainforest Action Network told Grist as the protest wrapped up. 'And I think what's quite clear is that we have more momentum than ever to start shutting down coal plants around the country,'" Kate Sheppard, Grist.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Live from DC: Thousands converge for Capitol Climate Action against dirty coal, Jeff Biggers, AlterNet.
WASHINGTON, DC -- Pro-green activists turn up the heat on Congress , March to impose tougher limits on coal power as energy, Lauren Whetzel and Elizabeth Hillgrove, Washington Times.
Mar 3: Ohio power plant called a fish 'killing machine'
DETROIT, MI -- "Conservationists are labeling a power plant near Toledo a 'prodigious killing machine' for its impact on fish in Lake Erie -- many of which migrate through the Detroit River -- and calling on Ohio officials to force the company to change its operation. First Energy's coal-fired Bay Shore power plant in Oregon, Ohio, sits near the point where the Maumee River empties into Maumee Bay. It is an area renowned as a spawning ground for fish species, particularly walleye. Figures the company supplied show the plant kills 126,000 fish a day -- a number environmental groups say is unacceptable," Jim Lynch, Detroit News.
Mar 2: How can the Ohio Department of Transportation have no documents at all on the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant?
COLUMBUS -- "I am writing concerning a public records request I filed with your predecessor on December 9, 2008. Almost three months later, I have neither seen nor received copies of the records requested [on the proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant in Meigs County]. The key words in the Public Records Act are 'promptly' and 'within a reasonable period of time.' I am sure you do not intend to violate this statute... I have enclosed all the relevant correspondence, including the last one I received, from ODOT Assistant Legal Counsel Heather Sullivan, which states, 'The District did not find any documents responsive to your request.' ... Common sense tells us that no proposed project on the scale of a 1,000 MW coal plant could be planned without Ohio Department of Transportation involvement. I am sure you agree. In this case, however, we also have proof..." Catherine Turcer, Director, Money in Politics Project, Ohio Citizen Action, letter to Jolene Molitoris, Director, Ohio Department of Transportation. 106 KB doc.
- Racine, Meigs County Meeting, memo, Robert Allen, Dec 12, 2008.
- Attachments 1, 2, 3: Proposed Site Improvement Project Overview/Narrative, undated.
Feb 26: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 3: Meigs County men have the shortest life expectancy in Ohio
COLUMBUS -- "Men in Meigs county have a shorter life expectancy than those of any other county in Ohio, according to the most recently-available county-level data compiled in a 2006 federally-funded Harvard study. Life expectancy for males in Meigs county was 70.2 years, lower than in any other Ohio county. For the whole Meigs county population, male and female, life expectancy was 74.3 years, sixth worst in Ohio; only Adams, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike and Scioto counties were lower. Researchers calculated life expectancy by averaging deaths over 5 years, 1997 - 2001, to reduce sensitivity to small numbers. The relationship between coal-fired power plant pollution and lower life expectancy is well-known," Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Feb 25: AMP applies for state loan, opponents balk
COLUMBUS -- "American Municipal Power-Ohio has applied for a $30 million low-interest loan set aside by the state of Ohio meant to increase the development, production and use of advanced energy technologies, including clean coal technologies... An article in yesterday’s The Columbus Dispatch said AMP-Ohio plans to begin construction in 2010 on the Letart Falls plant. Though Carson had previously told The Daily Sentinel ground would likely be broken this year on the project, yesterday he maintained the company still has no firm date. Whether or not AMP-Ohio does have that groundbreaking this year, Carson did say in the face of a softening in the commodities market and availability of raw materials 'we know we can make up ground and still have the plant up and running by 2014,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Feb 24: New-age energy? Coal burner seeks state loan
 Meigs County Development Director Perry Varnadoe stands in a field where AMP-Ohio wants to build a coal-fired power plant. |
Feb 24: Thanks to activists for keeping up the fight against power plant
ATHENS -- "I just want to take a moment to extend my sincere gratitude to Ms. Young and Ms. Buchanan for their tireless efforts in stopping the placement of the new AMP-Ohio 'clean coal' plant in Meigs County. They are facing an uphill battle and need all the help they can get. So it’s time for us in Athens and surrounding counties to realize the proposed plant will impact our lives as well and give our support to those battling on the ground... Write to the board of AMP-Ohio and tell them to cancel the proposed plant in Meigs County; write to state representatives and Gov. Strickland and tell them not to provide subsidies to site the plant in the state. It’s time we stand up and quit letting corporations abuse our lives and the environment," Daniel Deborde, letter to the editor, Athens News.
Feb 21: Coal lotta shakin' goin' on
Anti-coal activists get a boost from Tennessee ash spill and other mishaps
SEATTLE, WA -- "The Kingston spill made activists out
of McCoin, Grizzard, and other members of their community. At the same
time, it's invigorated anti-coal campaigns that were already underway.
Environmental groups have been able to use the TVA disaster as a vivid
illustration of a message they've been trying to drive home for years:
Coal is dirty from extraction to ignition to waste disposal, and no matter
how the industry tries to spin it, it can never be 'clean.' As the new
administration and Congress dig in, activists hope this example can be a
potent weapon in the political battle against coal," Kate Sheppard, Grist Magazine.Feb 19: Will AMP receive state incentives?
LETART FALLS -- "Will American Municipal Power-Ohio receive state incentives to build its American Municipal Power Generating Station in Letart Falls? The question was raised recently in a letter drafted to Gov. Ted Strickland by Ohio Citizen Action Executive Director Sandy Buchanan, only she used the word 'subsidy.' AMP-Ohio Spokesperson Kent Carson took issue with Buchanan using the term 'subsidy' and said the company has talked with the state about incentives for the project in relation to infrastructure needs and job training in the area. Carson said at this point an initial draft has been shown to the company from the Ohio Department of Development but no final offer has been finalized concerning incentives," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Feb 20: Coal Ash: The Hidden Story
How Industry and the EPA failed to stop a growing environmental disaster
COLSTRIP, MT -- "For decades, the dangers of coal ash had largely been hidden from public view. That all changed in December 2008, when an earthen dam holding a billion gallons of coal ash in a pond collapsed in eastern Tennessee, deluging 300 acres in gray muck, destroying houses and water supplies, and dirtying a river. But what happened in the Volunteer State represents just a small slice of the potential threat from coal ash. In many states — at ponds, landfills, and pits where coal ash gets dumped — a slow seepage of the ash’s metals has poisoned water supplies, damaged ecosystems, and jeopardized citizens’ health. In July 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified 63 'proven or potential damage cases' in 23 states where coal ash has tarnished groundwater and harmed ecology. Additional cases of contamination have since surfaced in states as far-flung as Maryland, New Mexico, Indiana, and Virginia. And in some locations, like Colstrip, the contamination has resulted in multimillion-dollar payouts to residents enduring the devastation," Kristen Lombardi, The Center for Public Integrity.
Feb 19: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 2: Meigs County and surrounding counties are already plagued by asthma
COLUMBUS -- "People in Meigs and surrounding counties suffer from asthma more than those in any other region of the state, according to the most recent survey of adults who report currently having asthma. In the map above, Meigs county is on the Ohio River, in the middle of the red counties where asthma rates are highest. This data comes from the Ohio Risk Factor Surveillance System, Community Assessments Section, Ohio Department of Health, 2003. While self-reported asthma rates are typically lower than those reported by physicians, that is the case in all regions of the state, and what's important are the relative rates by region."
"This data raises the same questions as we posed yesterday about lung cancer in Meigs County: Given the well-known relationship between coal plant pollution and asthma, why on earth would AMP-Ohio want to build another coal plant in Meigs County? Why on earth would Governor Strickland want to use our tax dollars to help AMP-Ohio do it?" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Feb 18: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant: Meigs County has the highest death rate for lung and bronchus cancer in Ohio
COLUMBUS -- "Meigs County has the highest death rate for lung and bronchus cancer in Ohio, according to the most recent data, 2001-2005, from the Chronic Disease and Behavioral Epidemiology Section and the Vital Statistics Program, Ohio Department of Health, 2008, as reported in 'Ohio Cancer Facts and Figures, 2008', American Cancer Society 2.89 MB pdf, p. 19, 21. Statistics are calculated as an average annual rate per 100,000, age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. Meigs County's rate of 86.5 is far higher than the state average of 60.3, and the national average of 54.1. Among men, the Meigs County rate of 140.2 is far above the next highest county, Jackson, at 122.8, 70% higher than the state average of 82.1, and nearly double the national average of 72.0. Given the well-known relationship between coal plant pollution and lung cancer, why on earth would AMP-Ohio want to build another coal plant in Meigs County? Why on earth would Governor Strickland want to use our tax dollars to help AMP do it?" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
MARIETTA -- AMP Meigs site still just a proposal, Kenneth Vigneron, Jr., Marietta Register.
Feb 17: AMP-Ohio proposes to build a fifth coal-fired power plant on the Ohio River in area heavily burdened by pollution from four coal plants
Power plants near the proposed AMP-Ohio site
LETART FALLS --"AMP-Ohio has proposed to build a new 1000 megawatt coal-fired power plant to be located in Letart Falls, Ohio on the Ohio River. This would be the fifth coal-fired power plant to be located within an 11.5 mile radius. In 2007 alone, the four existing coal-fired power plants released a combined 250,463,000 pounds of sulfur dioxide and 128,860,400 pounds of nitrogen oxide. Part of the historical difficulty in tracking the amount of air pollution from the existing four coal-fired power plants is that two of the plants are located in Ohio, and two in West Virginia. You can tell by looking at the charts that the Ohio EPA tracks different pollutants than West Virginia DEP," Rachael Belz, Ohio Citizen Action.
Feb 17: Lawsuit threatened against opponents of Meigs County power plant
ATHENS --"An attorney representing American Municipal Power-Ohio (AMP-Ohio) sent letters last month to a Meigs County resident and the director of Ohio Citizen Action stating that the utility firm is prepared to take legal action if the activists continue making public 'false statements' about a coal-burning power plant AMP-Ohio wants to build in Meigs County. Elisa Young of the Meigs Community Action Network and OCA Director Sandy Buchanan responded last week saying they will continue to voice their opposition to the $3.2 billion power plant project despite the letters, and that no false statements were made intentionally... Buchanan said the best way to clear up the disagreements is to increase the 'open exchange of information' between activists, AMP-Ohio and its communities. AMP-Ohio has not made enough information on the proposed plant accessible to the public, she said," Mike Ludwig, Athens News.
LETART FALLS -- AMP, opponents disagree over ‘false’ statements, Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
MARTINSVILLE, VA -- Public to get say on electric ordinance, "Martinsville buys power on the wholesale electric market through AMP-Ohio, a nonprofit organization owned by its member cities. The city then resells the electricity to city customers. A lawyer for AMP-Ohio recommended the city adopt the ordinance, but the ordinance has nothing to do with the AMP-Ohio agreement, Monday said during the meeting. Turner said he is suspicious of AMP-Ohio’s motives in making this recommendation. When AMP-Ohio recommends an action, he said during the council meeting, 'I think we need to step back,'" Kim Barto, Martinsville Bulletin.
Feb 16: Is America ready to quit coal?
NEW YORK, NY --"The coal industry, which powered the industrial revolution and supplied America with much of its electricity for more than 60 years, is in a fight for its survival. With concerns over climate change intensifying, electricity generation from coal, once reliably cheap, looks increasingly expensive in the face of the all-but-certain prospect of regulations that would impose significant costs on companies that emit large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. As a result, utilities’ plans for new coal plants are being turned down left and right. In the last two-and-a-half years, plans for 83 plants in the United States have either been voluntarily withdrawn or denied permits by state regulators. The roughly 600 coal-fired power plants in the United States are responsible for almost one-third of the country’s total carbon emissions, but they are distinctly at odds with a growing outlook that embraces clean energy," Melanie Warner, New York Times. Published February 14, 2009.
Feb 13: Rahall: Coal-ash dams 'ticking time bomb'
CHARLESTON, WV --"Rahall made his remarks during a subcommittee hearing on his legislation to force the Interior Department to regulate coal-ash dams, much as it does coal-slurry impoundments, under the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The West Virginia Democrat announced plans for his legislation a week after a Tennessee Valley Authority coal-ash dam collapsed in Tennessee, sending more than 1 billion gallons of toxic ash pouring over homes, fields and streams. Under the bill, Interior's Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement would write rules to require "substantially similar" design, construction and inspection standards for coal-ash dams as those current governing slurry impoundments," Ken Ward Jr, Charleston Gazette.
KNOXVILLE, TN -- Tennessee ash spill cleanup could cost $825 million, Duncan Mansfield, Associated Press.
Feb 12: Help to urge AMP-Ohio to cancel its proposed coal-fired power plant
CLEVELAND --"In addition to the environmental and health impacts of the proposed coal-fired power plant, the cost of this project has skyrocketed. The original estimated price tag was $1.2 billion. AMP-Ohio released new numbers in November, with estimates projected at $3.3 billion, plus financing. Costs could increase even more if federal regulations to control carbon dioxide are enacted. The proposed contract is a take-or-pay contract, where ratepayers must pay for the plant for 50 years, no matter how high the costs go... In February, Cleveland City Council agreed to purchase 80 megawatts of power for 50 years from this proposed coal plant. Ohio Citizen Action is encouraging communities that signed on to this project to reject the contract because of the risk, expense and pollution involved," Liz Ilg, Ohio Citizen Action, Earth Watch Ohio.
Feb 11: Second thoughts on coal plants are contagious, it seems
LAS VEGAS, NV -- "The announcement may have proved the environmental version of the domino theory — when one coal plant falls, the next isn’t far behind. NV Energy’s announcement Monday that it was shelving plans for a large, coal-fired power plant near Ely for at least a decade came as no surprise to those who have been tracking the industry. In recent months, plans for similar projects have faced new roadblocks that went beyond the typical opposition from environmentalists and not-in-my-back-yard complaints. Some of those plants fell altogether," Phoebe Sweet, Las Vegas Sun.
Feb 10: AMP-Ohio attorneys threaten citizen leaders, who promise to defend their rights “vigorously”
CLEVELAND --"Today, two leading opponents of the
proposed AMP Ohio coal plant in Meigs County promised to defend their
rights 'vigorously.' Elisa Young and Sandy Buchanan replied to
letters sent in January to each woman by Columbus attorney Charles Saxbe,
threatening legal action over their statements against the proposed plant.
Elisa Young is the founder of Meigs Citizens Action Now, and Sandy
Buchanan is the Executive Director of Ohio Citizen Action... Young,
founder of Meigs Citizens Action Now, is a 7th generation Appalachian. The
grassroots group is already living with four coal-fired power plants in a
approximate 10-mile radius in Ohio and West Virginia, and is actively
resisting the threat to create up to 5 more proposed coal-fired plants in
the area. 'Our only hope of beating this,' says Young, 'is to make the
communities that would be receiving the electricity aware of our
objections to this assault on our health and environment. To take away our
voice to speak out violates our most basic constitutional and civil
rights. We will not sit by and allow this to happen,'" press release, Elisa Young, Meigs Citizens Action Now and Sandy Buchanan, Ohio Citizen Action.Feb 9: Has AMP-Ohio postponed the Meigs coal plant again?
CLEVELAND -- "On January 13, Robert Trippe, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of American Municipal Power-Ohio, testified before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and apparently signaled another delay for the trouble-plagued Meigs County coal plant project. In his written testimony, Trippe told the Commission that 'AMP-Ohio’s financing plan for 2009' included bonds for the Prairie State and hydro projects, but did not mention the Meigs coal plant on this list. Trippe described in detail the delays which have plagued the financing for the Prairie State project, and said, 'In spite of AMP-Ohio's efforts to ensure the sound credit quality of its Members and its project financings, current economic conditions and distressed financial markets impair and threaten AMP-Ohio's capital expenditure program.' In previous descriptions of the Meigs plant project, AMP-Ohio has said it would go into the bond market to borrow the costs of construction when it issues a final "Notice to Proceed" to its contractor. In January 2008, the announced date for the Notice to Proceed for construction was April 2009. By October 2008, that date had slid to October 2009. As of Trippe's January 13 testimony, the date appears to have slipped sometime beyond 2009," Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Feb 6: Toxic coal in Tennessee
KINGSTON, TN -- "The Tennessee Valley Authority is the federally funded electric utility that produced the ash, mixed it with water and stored it inside a forty-acre holding pond at a plant in Kingston, Tennessee, some forty miles west of Knoxville. On December 22 an earthen dike collapsed, releasing 1.1 billion gallons of the muddy waste, which knocked houses off foundations and poured into the Tennessee River basin, which feeds municipal drinking-water systems. TVA and EPA officials scrambled to test drinking water, quickly assuring residents that all was safe. Since then, TVA surface-water tests have consistently shown little to no threat of contamination downstream. Despite these assurances, the largest industrial spill in American history has become the emblem of an industry run amok, of regulatory failures and of a controversial effort to depict coal as a benign energy source," Kelly Hearn, The Nation. Published February 4.
Feb 5: Ohio Citizen Action questions state subsidies to AMP-Ohio Coal Plant
CLEVELAND -- Ohio Citizen Action Executive Director Sandy Buchanan today sent a letter to Governor Ted Strickland questioning whether state subsidies should be granted to AMP-Ohio's proposed new coal plant in Meigs County. Ohio Citizen Action reviewed a series of state documents obtained under Ohio public records law, which showed that the state is considering a wide variety of public subsidies to AMP-Ohio, though after three years of discussion, no specific package has been announced. In her letter to the governor, Buchanan concludes, "It appears from the records provided to us that something is wrong here. Either the project needs the subsidy or it doesn’t. If the former, then the public and those municipal electric systems were not told the whole truth about the project’s finances when their city councils voted to sign 50-year contracts. If the latter, then why toss public money out the window at a time when you are cutting basic services?" Because correspondence between AMP-Ohio and the State of Ohio also indicated that West Virginia may have been in competition for this plant, Ohio Citizen Action also wrote to West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin asking whether West Virginia had offered subsidies to AMP-Ohio.
- Letter, Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action, to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Feb 5, 2009.
- Letter, Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action, to West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, Feb 5, 2009.
- State documents on proposed AMP-Ohio coal plant
BOWLING GREEN -- "The presentation is not meant to just educate students and community members about the problems in Meigs County, Warther said, but to inform on how the University and the city of Bowling Green fit into the problem. The city has invested into the new coal-fired power plant in Meigs County so a portion of the energy produced by the power plant will run some of the homes and businesses in the community. 'The coal power plant Elisa [Young] is trying to stop is being funded by Bowling Green,' she said. 'This is as much Elisa's problem as it is ours,'" Becky Tener, Bowling Green News.
Feb 4: 6th grader from Solon writes AMP-Ohio's board of directors
SOLON -- "Dear AMP-Ohio Executive Management, I am tonight further aware that you are one of the people trying to burn coal to make energy. Yes, even I, a 6th grader, am knowledgeable for even these types of issues. Sure, you are probably saying, 'Why should I listen to this twerp? He is trying to tell me how to do my job! Why am I even reading this?' Well, you are reading this [for] the same reason that I am and have written this. Because you care," Nathan, just another caring citizen.
Feb 3: The Power of wind
Lorain erects first turbine to generate electricity
LORAIN -- "Utilizing wind to generate electricity is no longer a far-fetched dream, but a reality as several dignitaries watched Lorain's first wind turbine be erected yesterday in the lot adjacent to the Turtle Plastics Building, 7500 Industrial Parkway. It is also the first wind turbine to be installed in Lorain County. After preparing for over 15 months, Chuck Norton, chief financial officer for Turtle Plastics, called yesterday 'wonderful. It's a really exciting day.' He said the 70-foot-high wind turbine, with 16-foot-long wind blades, will produce 20 kilowatts used to generate electricity for his company," Ingrid Rivera, Lorain Morning Journal.
BILLINGS, MT--
Co-op gives up trying to
build coal plant, New plans call for making electricity from
natural gas, Jan Falstead, Billings
Gazette.
Feb 2: AMP anticipates groundbreaking this year
LETART FALLS -- "Despite appeals by environmental
groups, American Municipal Power-Ohio said plans are still on schedule for
the company to break ground on its American Municipal Power Generating
Station this year. Kent Carson, director of AMP-Ohio’s member relations,
said while a date has not been decided, the company is indeed committed to
breaking ground on the plant some time this year. As for the recent appeal
filed against the plant’s final National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
Systems (NPDES) permit by environmental groups, Carson commented that 'it
wasn’t unexpected' and the company continues to move forward with
developing the plant," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily
Sentinel. Published January 31.
Feb 2: Wary residents sue TVA
Ash spill
claims could cost utility tens of millions
Even residents whose land wasn’t
affected by the potentially toxic sludge have worries about property
values and health concerns. (John Partipilo/The Tennessean)
NASHVILLE, TN -- "The tricycle at Peggy Blanchard's
home sits idle in her garage, intentionally tucked out of sight so her
4-year-old granddaughter won't ask to ride. Blanchard got it as a
Christmas present for the little girl, but she's afraid to let her go
outside to play ever since the TVA coal ash disaster rearranged life in
their community. It's little comfort to Blanchard and many of her
neighbors in the waterfront Duck Pond community that the potentially toxic
sludge didn't directly pour across their land. They still feel its
impact," Brad Schade, The Tennessean.
Jan 29: All is not "green" in Bowling Green
Wind turbines
near Bowling Green.
BOWLING GREEN --
"In the last year, the city has moved away from an expansion project of
the wind farm and signed into a contract with American Municipal
Power-Ohio to buy power from a proposed coal-fired power plant to be built
on the Ohio River in Meigs County. The contract restricts the city into
buying a steady amount of wattage per term for fifty years, regardless of
coal price increases, cheaper renewable energy or cap and trade laws by
the government which would drastically increase prices. The plant itself
was proposed as using 'clean coal technology,' which is debatably feasible
at best, but nowhere in the contract does it hold AMP to do so. From an
environmental standpoint, the plant will join four other coal-fired plants
in a ten mile radius," Elizabeth Warther, letter to the editor, Bowling Green News.
Jan 28: Coal
wins big in Senate stimulus package
CHARLESTON, WV --
"Coal supporters have managed to tuck more than $4.6 billion in money for
the industry into a Senate version of the economic stimulus package. The
Senate Appropriations Committee approved the legislation with several coal
projects pushed by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va... However, environmental
groups are concerned that Congress will not put tight enough restrictions
on 'clean coal' projects - requirements that they actually limit their
greenhouse gas emissions and do so now, rather than much later. Also, some
citizen groups, especially those opposing mountaintop removal in
Appalachia, argue there is no such thing as 'clean coal,' whether
greenhouse emissions are captured or not," Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette.
Jan 27: New appeal filed against AMP plant
COLUMBUS
-- "An appeal has been filed against the final National Pollution
Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit issued for the American
Municipal Power Generating Station by the Ohio Environmental Protection
Agency. The appeal, filed on Dec. 5 with the Ohio Environmental Review
Appeals Commission, was made by the Natural Resources Defense Council,
Ohio Environmental Council and Sierra Club... Stated in the opening
paragraph of the draft provided is: 'The permit allows AMP to discharge
pollutants into the Ohio River, John’s Run, and unnamed tributaries of the
Ohio River from its proposed coal-fired power plant in Letart Falls,'"
Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
KNOXVILLE, TN -- Market commentary, "The
Natural Resources Defense Council is after the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency to require American Municipal Power to burn low-sulfur
coal at its new circa 1,000-MW Meigs County generating station on the Ohio
River. The flap, of course, centers on AMP’s use of Ohio coal in a blend
with low-sulfur coal. The NRDC doesn’t think the in-state stuff ought to
fly. It wants an appeals commission to rescind AMP’s air permit," Coal & Energy.
Jan 27: Giant toxic coal ash spill threatens animals
KINGSTON, TN -- "t's been called the Exxon Valdez of
coal ash—a wakeup call for a fossil fuel industry. But the recent toxic
ash spill in Tennessee is greater in scope than the 1989 oil spill, and
despite what some conservationists are calling very real threats, the ash
disaster has so far inspired apparently little concern for local
wildlife... The torrent half-buried area homes and elevated long-running
health concerns over heavy metals in the ash. Those worries, experts say,
are not limited to human health. In addition to the animals killed by the
initial spill, wildlife may be threatened for years by the trace amounts
of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, thallium, and other toxins in the coal ash,"
Kelly Hearn, National Geographic. Published
January 23.
Jan 26: Coal trying for slice of stimulus package
CHARLESTON, WV -- "Coal company officials and their
supporters in Congress are working to increase the industry's already
large chunk of the economic stimulus package. Lawmakers in the House set
aside $2.4 billion in their current version of the legislation for
research into capturing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power
plants. Democratic leaders in the House Committee on Commerce and Energy
defeated Republican efforts to also make coal eligible for a loan
guarantee program for renewable energy projects. In the Senate, Jay
Rockefeller, D-W.Va., was lobbying fellow lawmakers and President Obama
behind the scenes to try to get more money for what supporters call 'clean
coal' programs. 'He wants it as big as possible,' said Jamie Smith,
Rockefeller's communications director. 'He's going to just keep working
for more and more and more money for this,'" Ken Ward Jr., Charleston Gazette. Published January 25.
Jan 26: Use of low-sulfur, out-of-state coal
sought
COLUMBUS -- "Ohio
environmental officials rejected a federal request last year to study ways
to reduce air pollution at a proposed $3.2 billion coal-fired power plant
along the Ohio River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked the
Ohio EPA to examine how burning only low-sulfur coal would affect
pollution at the plant before the state issued a permit to American
Municipal Power. High-sulfur coal, mined in Ohio, releases more sulfur
dioxide -- linked to smog, soot and acid rain -- than low-sulfur coal
does. The Ohio EPA granted the permit without following through on the
federal request. The Natural Resources Defense Council, an
environmental-advocacy group, is asking an appeals commission to order the
Ohio EPA to rescind the permit and follow through on the federal request.
'They are clearly calling for the use of in-state coal,' Shannon Fisk, the
council's attorney, said of the Ohio EPA," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
Jan 23: Collapse of the clean coal myth
NEW YORK, NY -- "Coal is certainly an important fuel,
providing just over half of the nation’s electricity. And progress has
been made: new coal-fired plants are cleaner than old ones, and older
plants that have been required under the Clean Air Act to install
pollution controls are cleaner than the many plants that have managed to
escape the law’s reach. But coal remains an inherently dirty fuel, and a
huge contributor to not only ground-level pollution — including acid rain
and smog — but also global warming. The sooner the country understands
that, the closer it will be to mitigating the damage," editorial, New York Times. Published January 22, 2009.
Jan 15: Ohio EPA approves water quality certification for
AMP-Ohio
POMEROY -- "Ohio EPA has
approved a water quality certification for AMP-Ohio’s planned power plant
and associated structures located in Letart Falls (Meigs County). The
certification authorizes impacts to streams and wetlands and requires
specific mitigation measures to offset those impacts. AMP-Ohio wants to
construct a power plant; wastewater treatment plant with an outfall to the
Ohio River; water intake structure; barge unloading facility; landfill;
dredge pond; transmission line and substation to connect the plant to the
existing distribution grid," Pomeroy Daily
Sentinel.
Jan 15: Ohio to check out coal-ash dams
Urgency
grows after huge spill at Tennessee plant
COLUMBUS -- "State dam-safety workers will step up
inspections and review past inspections of 20 ponds that Ohio power plants
use to store billions of gallons of toxic coal ash. The decision,
announced yesterday by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, follows a
Dec. 22 spill of 1 billion gallons of coal ash from a Tennessee Valley
Authority power plant near Harriman, Tenn. Ohio hasn't inspected dams at
several ponds in the state in more than a decade," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
Jan 14: Exposing the myth of clean coal power
NEW YORK, NY -- "If you paid any attention to last
year's presidential campaign, you'll remember ads touting the benefits of
'clean coal' power, sponsored by the industry group American Coalition for
Clean Coal Electricity... The 'clean coal' campaign was always more PR
than reality — currently there's no economical way to capture and
sequester carbon emissions from coal, and many experts doubt there ever
will be. But now the idea of clean coal might be truly dead, buried
beneath the 1.1 billion gallons of water mixed with toxic coal ash that on
Dec. 22 burst through a dike next to the Kingston coal plant in the
Tennessee Valley and blanketed several hundred acres of land, destroying
nearby houses," Bryan Walsh, Time Magazine.
Jan 14: America's untapped energy resource: boosting
efficiency
NEW YORK, NY -- "This may sound too good to
be true, but the U.S. has a renewable-energy resource that is perfectly
clean, remarkably cheap, surprisingly abundant and immediately available.
It has astounding potential to reduce the carbon emissions that threaten
our planet, the dependence on foreign oil that threatens our security and
the energy costs that threaten our wallets... This miracle juice goes by
the distinctly boring name of energy efficiency, and it's often ignored in
the hubbub over alternative fuels, the nuclear renaissance, T. Boone
Pickens and the green-tech economy. Clearly, it needs an agent. But it's a
simple concept: wasting less energy," Michael Grunwald, Time Magazine.
Jan 13: Video: Coal ash spill raises broader
questions
NEW YORK, NY -- "A billion
gallons of coal ash breached a holding pond at a Tennessee power plant,
reigniting a debate over the safety of the byproduct of clean coal
technology," Shaila Dewan, Rob Harris and Peter White, New York Times.
Jan 12: Waste spills at another TVA. power plant
STEVENSON, AL -- "Waste from a pond at an Alabama
coal-fired power plant run by the Tennessee Valley Authority escaped
Friday into a Tennessee River tributary. The accident occurred less than
three weeks after a rupture in a similar pond at another T.V.A. plant
spilled more than a billion gallons of coal ash over 300 acres in East
Tennessee. The overflow in Alabama, at the Widows Creek Fossil Plant in
the northeastern corner of the state, was much smaller, officials said. Up
to 10,000 gallons of slurry spilled, said Scott Hughes, a spokesman for
the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, who cautioned that the
figure was preliminary," Shaila Dewan, New York
Times. Published January 9.
STEVENSON, AL -- Second TVA spill reported
in Alabama, Anne Paine and Brad Shrade, The Tennessean. Published January 9.
STEVENSON, AL -- Nation's largest utility
grapples with 2 spills, Jay Reeves, Associated Press. Published January 11.
Jan 12: AMP-Ohio plant faces another hearing
COLUMBUS -- "The Sunday Times-Sentinel has confirmed
an additional public hearing on American Municipal Power Generating
Station power plant’s final air permit may be held in the spring by the
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. The need for an additional public
hearing on a permit which has been issued final has to do with a change in
the Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR), a federal law also overturned last
year. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled
the EPA had overstepped its authority instituting CAMR, which would have
established a cap-and-trade system for soot and smog, according to The
Washington Post," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily
Sentinel. Published January 11.
Jan 12: Coal-ash waste poses risk across the nation
This aerial view taken Dec. 22 shows
homes that were destroyed when a retention pond wall collapsed at the
Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tenn. The
40-acre pond held about a billion gallons of coal waste and water. (Wade
Payne/Associated Press)
BOSTON, MA -- "The
billion-gallon wave of toxic coal-ash sludge that burst from a power-plant
retention pond and buried 300 acres of rural Tennessee hints at a far
larger problem: hundreds of similar threats nationwide. More than 1,300
coal-ash waste sites are dotted across the United States, about half of
them actively used, federal data show. Some are landfills. The rest are
'surface impoundments' (storage lagoons), which, like the one in
Tennessee, mix ash with water. Coal ash has some beneficial uses. It can
be mixed with concrete to make roads, for example. But storing coal ash in
a retention pond – common at coal-fired power plants nationwide – can be a
threat to the environment and humans as well," Mark Clayton, Christian Science Monitor. Published January 9.
Jan 9: AMP signs contractor to build plant
Seated
(from left) are AMP-Ohio President/CEO Marc Gerken and President Bechtel
Fossil Power G. Lee Lushbaugh, Jr. Standing (from left) AMP-Ohio General
Council John Bentine, AMP-Ohio Manager of New Plant Engineering Scott
Kiesewetter, Bechtel Power Corp. Project Manager Todd Whorten, AMP-Ohio
Board of Trustees Chairman Dan Preising, AMPGS Participants Committee
Chair Ivan Henderson, Bechtel Power Corp. VP & Manager Business
Development Americas Rondal Tobler, AMP-Ohio VP Project Development Larry
Marquis.
COLUMBUS -- "American
Municipal Power-Ohio signed a contract on Jan. 8 naming Bechtel the
engineer-procure-construct (EPC) contractor for the $3.25 billion American
Municipal Power Generating Station and granted the engineering firm a
limited-notice-to-proceed on the project. In a joint statement between the
two companies, the signing of the contract was called a 'a multi-billion
dollar investment in Southeast Ohio that will bring significant economic
development while helping to stabilize electric power prices,'" Beth
Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Jan 9: Group
says U.S. 'wet dumps,' like nine in Ohio, pose threat
FirstEnergy
says it's not aware of problems
Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.'s Bruce Mansfield Power
Station at Shippingport, Pa., ranks No. 1 in the United States for the
selenium content of its ash, No. 10 for arsenic, No. 8 for chromium, No. 9
for lead and No. 8 for nickle.
AKRON
-- "There are about 100 largely unregulated 'wet dumps' across the United
States, including nine in Ohio, that pose a threat, a coalition of
environmental groups said Wednesday. The ponds and lakes, used by electric
utilities to store toxic coal ash and filled with toxic heavy metals, are
similar to the Tennessee Valley Authority's facility at Harriman, Tenn.,
that was breached Dec. 22. Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.'s Bruce Mansfield
Power Station at Shippingport, Pa., is featured prominently in the report released by the Environmental Integrity Project
and EarthJustice. The coal-fired Mansfield plant ranks No. 1 in the
United States for the selenium content of its ash: 167,494 pounds from
2000-06, based on data the utility provided to the federal government,"
Bob Downing, Akron Beacon Journal.
Jan 8: Few regulations restrain tons of toxic coal
sludge
Environmentalists fear a holding-pond disaster could
happen here, too
Sandra Diaz, National Field Coordinator for
Appalachain Voices takes water samples from the Emory River in
Tennessee.
COLUMBUS -- "Ohio power plants
store billions of gallons of toxic coal waste in ponds that environmental
advocates say are mostly unregulated by state and federal officials. Nine
of the 13 plants rely on dams to hold back these ponds, the largest of
which can hold as much as 9.1 billion gallons of water and coal ash. A dam
at a pond operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority burst Dec. 22,
releasing more than 1 billion gallons of coal ash and water that covered
300 acres in a gray toxic sludge. Ohio government and utility officials
say they believe the dams at 20 ponds are sound. But according to state
records, many of the dams at smaller ponds haven't been inspected in more
than a decade," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
DURHAM, NC -- TOXIC INFLUENCE: Coal
ash-tainted money funds senators holding TVA disaster
hearing, Sue Sturgis, Facing
South.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Disaster in Waiting: Toxic
Coal Ash Disposal in Impoundments at Power Plants, USEPA data
shows power plants disposing of high volumes of toxic metals in open
lagoons, Environmental Integrity
Project.
Jan 7: Painesville residents sign petitions opposing coal
plant
Back row left to right: Allison Moon,
Kaitlin Fine, Leo Powell, Kendra Ulrich, Anthony Touarti. Front row:
Adrieauna Price-Doss and Sarah Batke.
PAINESVILLE -- On Monday December 22, 2008, 383
Painesville residents signed petitions urging the city government to
cancel its participation in AMP-Ohio’s plans to build a new coal fired
power plant in Meigs County Ohio. Ohio Citizen Action canvassers
distributed information door-to-door in the community.
Photo by Andrew Flock, a member of Painesville City
council, who opposed the 50-year contract.
Jan 7: Hundreds of coal ash dumps lack regulation
NEW YORK, NY -- "The coal ash pond that ruptured and
sent a billion gallons of toxic sludge across 300 acres of East Tennessee
last month was only one of more than 1,300 similar dumps across the United
States — most of them unregulated and unmonitored — that contain billions
more gallons of fly ash and other byproducts of burning coal. Like the one
in Tennessee, most of these dumps, which reach up to 1,500 acres, contain
heavy metals like arsenic, lead, mercury and selenium, which are
considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be a threat to water
supplies and human health," Shaila Dewan, New York
Times. Published January 6.
Jan 7:
Company says it's dropping Waterloo power
plant
DES MOINES, IA -- "The company behind a
proposed $1.3 billion coal-fired power plant in the Waterloo area has
abruptly dropped the project, citing concerns about the economic
downturn... Carrie La Seur, president of the Cedar Rapids-based
environmental group Plains Justice, said she wasn't surprised the project
didn't come to fruition. 'Really, with the kind of developments we've seen
over the last several months in the credit markets and for coal fired
plants in particular, I guess we were waiting to hear the final nail get
hammered into the coffin,' said La Seur, whose group has been a leader in
opposing the plant. 'I'd have been very surprised if they were able to
build a coal plant,'" Henry Jackson, Associated
Press.
WATERLOO, IA
-- LS Power pulls plug on
Waterloo plant, Tim Jamison, Waterloo
Cedar Falls Courier.
Jan 6:
Impact of Tennessee coal ash disaster on Ohio? “Clean
coal…is a joke”
CLEVELAND -- "On Saturday,
December 27, I wrote Rachael Belz at Ohio
Citizen Action the following e-mail: 'I’m a freelance writer and
blogger based in Northeast Ohio. I’ve been following the Harriman, TN fly
ash incident since it happened but I would really like to understand
better its implications for Ohio. Have you written anything about that
yet, or would you be willing to tell me about it?' Today, I received the
following response from Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen
Action: 'We have not written about it. Here are some notes on
implications: It is a reminder that the existence of the coal industry in
Ohio and every other coal state depends on massive shifting of costs to
innocent people. If the coal companies had to pay for all the costs of
their operations, they would immediately go out of business. It is also a
reminder that 'clean coal' – peddled in Ohio as much as anywhere – is a
joke,'" Jill Miller Zimon, Writes Like She
Talks.
HARRIMAN, TN
-- Sen. Corker says Tennessee
ash flood is 'wake-up' call, Duncan Mansfield, Associated Press, published January 5.
HARRIMAN, TN -- Corker tours TVA ash spill
site, Contamination levels of water, air test acceptable, Ed
Marcum, Knoxville News Sentinel.
Jan 5: Tennessee: Early warnings on ash pond
leaks
TVA, state inspections show repairs, suspension of
deposits at Kingston ash pond
HARRIMAN, TN --
"The Tennessee Valley Authority knew for the past decade of leaks at the
fly ash retention pond that ruptured in Roane County two weeks ago, TVA
and state inspection reports show. In both 2003 and 2006, leaks in the
landfill where wet fly ash was dumped were so bad TVA repaired drainage
and dikes around the retention ponds and, for nearly a year and half, TVA
suspended any ash deposits in the landfill to allow the dredge cell to dry
out and stabilize. The head of TVA’s coal ash disposal program said she
was convinced the ash storage problems were fixed and the landfill for
coal residue could pile up years more of wet ash," Dave Flessner and Pam
Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Jan 2: After Tennessee ash spill, cleanup and
worry
Workers with the Tennessee Valley Authority, owner of
the coal plant, survey damage the day after the Dec. 22 spill.
ROANE COUNTY, TN -- "This week, hundreds of workers
continued a massive cleanup around the Kingston Fossil Plant, a Tennessee
Valley Authority facility that has been a mundane and welcome fixture here
for the last half a century, until -- late at night and three days before
Christmas -- it became a force of ruination. Earthen walls surrounding one
of the plant's retention areas failed, sending more than a billion gallons
of the ash -- enough to fill 1,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools --
coursing into surrounding waterways and a handful of private properties.
No one was harmed, but residents are worried about the long-term health
effects from the ash, which contains potentially harmful contaminants such
as arsenic," Richard Fausset, Los Angeles
Times, published January 1.
HARRIMAN, TN -- Metal levels found high in
tributary after spill, Sheila Dewan, New York Times, published January 1.
Older AMP-Ohio news 2008, 2007
As of April 27, 2009 12,905 personal letters have been sent to AMP-Ohio board members urging AMP to cancel the proposed plant in Meigs County.
 |
|---|
592 ratepayers in AMP communities have written personal letters to their local council members telling them why they don't want to build this coal plant.
2,776 taxpayers have written Rep. Vernon Sykes, Finance and Appropriations Committee Chairman, opposing AMP-Ohio's coal plant from receiving any future subsidies from the state of Ohio.
REPORT: 
Cost of power could be 50%
higher than predicted
THE CONTRACT 
This copy was obtained through a public records
request in Yellow Springs
August 2007 letter from
AMP which included changes to contract
Natural Resources Defense Council
fact sheets on the proposed AMP Ohio coal plant 
Economic
Older AMP-Ohio news
2008
2007