Dec 23: Power plant fiasco is a lesson
WARREN -- "American Municipal Power's decision to scrap a proposed coal-fired power plant on the Ohio River in Miegs County saves money for residents in Niles, Hubbard and Newton Falls... A report produced by Scott Balice Strategies, a financial advisory firm in Chicago, projected higher construction costs, more costly emissions regulations, and greater demands for power than what AMP-Ohio predicts. Ohio Citizen Action took that data and estimated electricity could cost the local communities 40 percent to 50 percent more than AMP-Ohio told them," editorial, Tribune-Chronicle. Published December 14th.Dec 22: Another one bites the (coal) dust
American Municipal Power abandons plans to build a much-protested coal-fired power plant in southeast Ohio
MEIGS COUNTY -- "A proposed 960-megawatt coal-fired power plant for southeast Ohio won’t be built, thanks to both cost increases and opposition from the public. American Municipal Power (AMP) announced the decision to scrap plans for the $3.9 billion plant at the end of November. The facility would have joined four other coal-fired power plants currently located in Meigs County, Ohio, where residents have the some of the highest cancer rates in the nation, according to Ohio Citizen Action, a grassroots organization that fought plans for the plant," Stephanie Rogers, Mother Nature Network.
Dec 21: Ohio’s big lesson for Rogers City
TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- "The 109th coal plant proposal to be dropped in the last two year sure was a biggie. American Municipal Power’s proposal for a 960 megawatt power plant in Meigs County, Ohio was officially declared dead by the company on the day before Thanksgiving... The AMP project hits home in northern Michigan for several reasons. One of the main problems with the Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative’s goofy Rogers City coal plant proposal has been its cost. Financial analyst Tom Sanzillo pegged the cost of power coming out of Rogers City at 17 - 19 cents per kilowatt-hour back in 2007-at least twice what the Wolverine family of electric co-ops is currently paying," Tom Karas, Institute Daily.
Dec 17: Video: AMP cancels Meigs County coal plant
Dec 14: Victory celebration
People from across the state who worked on the successful campaign against American Municipal Power’s proposed coal plant came together on Friday night in Cleveland for a celebration. The event brought together representatives of the many organizations and communities who had opposed the plant, including Meigs Citizens Action Now, Ohio Citizen Action, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Ohio Student Environmental Coalition, Ohio Environmental Council, and elected officials and community leaders from Oberlin, Cleveland, and Painesville. Among those at the gathering were, left to right: Liz Ilg, Will McCracken, Elisa Young, Isabelle Rozendaal, Sandy Buchanan, Bill Callahan, Thom Cmar, Shannon Fisk, Rachael Belz, Glenn Gall, Ben Shapiro.
MARTINSVILLE, WV -- City won't learn of defunct plant's cost for a while, Ginny Wray, Martinsville Bulletin.
Dec 11: Ohio says No to coal-fired plant!
Kentucky moves to frontline in Clean Energy vs. Dirty Coal Battle
COLUMBUS -- "But first, the great news: Tonight in Cleveland, Ohio, clean energy advocates will celebrate the recent announcement by the American Municipal Power in Ohio to abandon its plans to build a coal-fired power plant along the Ohio River in Meigs County--home of one of the highest concentrations of coal-fired plants and cancer rates in the nation. Citing the 37 percent increase in building costs, AMP not only saved the Ohio Appalachia region of more mercury and other toxic pollution--but kept 7.5 million tons of annual CO2 emissions from releasing into our world," Jeff Biggers, Huffington Post.Dec 9: Ohio leads U.S. in air toxins, but levels dip
COLUMBUS -- "Scrubbers that were recently installed at two large power plants have helped to cut releases of toxic air pollutants in Ohio by 22 percent, the first significant decrease in years. Statistics released yesterday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show that all Ohio plants, factories and businesses produced an estimated 90.1 million pounds of airborne, health-threatening chemicals in 2008. That again ranks Ohio as the nation's top emitter of airborne toxic compounds. Pennsylvania ranked No. 2, with an estimated 73.3 million pounds in 2008," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
Dec 7: Utah Supreme Court puts kibosh on coal plant
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- "You can put a fork in a gigantic new coal fired power plant proposed for rural Sugard, Utah, because it’s done. Yesterday the Utah Supreme Court struck a major blow against the plant by ordering it to start back at square one in the pollution permit application process. As reported by Paul Foy in an Associated Press story, the do-over exposes the pie-in-the-sky mentality behind so called 'clean coal.' Among the reasons for the court’s decision was the failure of regulators to look into gasification, a cleaner coal technology. They went along with Nevco, the company behind the plant, which proposed a more polluting conventional pulverized-coal burn method because gasification was too expensive. In other words, without some big help from some deep pockets, clean coal is a no go," Tina Casey, CleanTechnica. Published December 5.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Utah Supreme Court rules against coal plant, Associated Press. Published December 4.
Dec 4: Power plant project stalls
Economic reasons, not opposition from environmentalists, behind decision
DOVER -- "Work on the proposed American Municipal Power Generating Station project in Meigs County is being halted.
But the project – recently referred to by the Sierra Club in Ohio as a 'toxic asset' for Dover and other AMP members in Ohio and five other states – is being stopped solely for economic reasons, not for any environmental claims made by the project’s opponents, according to Dover Mayor Richard Homrighausen.
Homrighausen, who in October touted the benefits of the proposed clean-coal-technology plant, said Thursday that he seconded a motion to suspend the project, a motion that was made by a Cuyahoga Falls representative at a recent board of participants meeting. He noted that the motion passed by an overwhelming majority of the 81 participant communities, with only two votes against the suspension," Joe Mizer, New Philadelphia Times-Reporter.Dec 3: Progress Energy gives up on coal plants
The H.F. Lee Plant near Goldsboro, NC is one of the 11 coal plants that Progress Energy plans to shutter.
RALEIGH, NC -- "Progress Energy plans to mothball 11 coal-burning power plants in the state, a move that signals the beginning of the end of the era of cheap coal that has defined the state's electricity production for decades. The Raleigh electric utility is moving to shutter older coal-burning plants because it's becoming too expensive to modify the older plants to comply with ever-tougher environmental regulations. The aging plants, including one in Chatham County, produce 12.5 percent of the power company's electricity but lack pollution-trapping 'scrubber' technology. Progress officials anticipate a slew of new federal restrictions on air pollution that crosses state lines, on mercury emissions and on waste pits that store coal ash," John Murawski, Raleigh News and Observor.
RALEIGH, NC -- North Carolina utility to shut down 11 older coal plants, Associated Press.
NEW YORK, NY -- Exelon to close four power generating units, Reuters.
Dec 3: Plug pulled on power plant
YELLOW SPRINGS -- "Yellow Springs was one of the first communities to question the viability of a 1,000-megawatt coal plant in Meigs County when AMP, the Village’s nonprofit wholesale power supplier, began conducting project feasibility studies in 2006, according to Sandy Buchanan, executive director of Ohio Citizen Action... Local resident Ellis Jacobs, who works as a public interest attorney in Dayton and opposed local participation in the project, believes Council’s decision was sound.
'The facts that were used to oppose the plant were first developed in Yellow Springs, which says that folks here had a major role in killing this plant,' he said Monday. 'We also saved a ton of money by not signing on — it’s fair to say that we would have been stuck with some portion of the development costs,'" Lauren Heaton, Yellow Springs News. HUDSON -- AMP shuts down coal-fired plant project , Laura Freeman, Hudson Hub Times.
Dec 1: Council: City should mull AMP projects
MARTINSVILLE, VA -- "Martinsville should consider taking part in other American Municipal Power (AMP) projects now that a coal-fired electricity generating plant will not be built, a majority of city council members say... AMP already has spent approximately $200 million on developing the plant, and Martinsville’s prorated share has been estimated at $2.08 million. City officials say Martinsville has two options, one of which is fully pulling out of its commitment to buy power that the plant would have produced. The other option is to participate in future AMP projects. Potential projects include retooling the Meigs County site to generate electricity by natural gas, additional hydroelectric projects on the Ohio River and/or a proposed natural gas power generation facility in Danville, officials have said," Mickey Powell, Martinsville Bulletin.
City of Martinsville press release
POMEROY -- AMP decision affects Meigs infrastructure plans, Brian Reed, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Nov 30: Loss of power plant to cost millions
MARIETTA -- "This week's announcement that American Municipal Power of Ohio has pulled the plug on its multibillion-dollar coal-fired power plant in Letart Falls caught Meigs County Economic Development Director Perry Varnadoe by surprise. 'This was a very unexpected turn of events,' Varnadoe said. 'We were extremely disappointed - this would have been a great economic engine for all of southeastern Ohio.' In a statement issued Wednesday, officials with the Columbus-based, nonprofit AMP Ohio company said the much-touted Meigs plant project had been scrapped after learning construction costs had jumped from $3.3 billion to $4 billion," Sam Shawver, Marietta Times. Published November 28.
Nov 27: Opponents hail AMP’s decision to dump coal
COLUMBUS -- "Not surprisingly, opponents of American Municipal Power’s coal-fired power plant proposed for Letart Falls are hailing the company’s decision to abandon the project. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Ohio Environmental Council have all been involved in litigation over the plant, appealing air and water pollution permits issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency... 'AMP-Ohio’s wise decision belies the myth that coal power is cheap power,' Trent Dougherty, OEC staff attorney said. 'Financial institutions, major utilities, government regulators and public power organizations across the nation have come to the conclusion that conventional coal makes little sense economically or environmentally. Today, that realization came to AMP as AMP has abandoned plans to build yet another coal plant,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
COLUMBUS -- Reaction at state level to AMP decision, "State Sen. Jimmy Stewart (R-Albany) said, 'It’s disheartening to think when virtually every elected official supports a project like this, we just can’t seem to make it happen,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
COLUMBUS -- American Municipal Power reconsiders Ohio plant, Associated Press.
MARTINSVILLE, VA -- AMP, city abandon plant plan, Mickey Powell, Martinsville Bulletin.
Nov 26: Costs doom plans for Ohio River power plant
COLUMBUS -- "Plans to build a huge coal-fired power plant along the Ohio River in Meigs County have gone up in smoke. . . . 'This shouldn't have been unexpected,' said Sandy Buchanan, director of Ohio Citizen Action. 'Citizens groups and environmentalists have been warning them for the last two years how expensive it would be,'" Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS -- Painesville, other AMP members cancel plant. "Councilman Andrew Flock voted against participating in the project, which would have locked Painesville into a 1.3 percent share of the 960 megawatt-hour facility for 50 years. 'I didn't buy it then, and I don't buy it now,' Flock said. 'I'm really glad it was defeated. I'm glad they didn't do this. It just was not a feasible thing to do,'" Jacob Lammers, Lake County News Herald.
POMEROY -- AMP coal plant dead in water; Locals stunned by decision. "Meigs County Commissioner Mick Davenport, who has been in office since the project came to Meigs County four years ago, said, 'We don’t understand the particular cost increases that stopped this at this point . . .'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
AKRON -- Natural gas, not coal, might fuel power plant; Environmental groups hail proposed move, Bob Downing, Akron Beacon Journal.
TOLEDO -- Electric supplier pulls its plan for $1.2B power plant, Tom Henry, Toledo Blade.
COLUMBUS -- AMP-Ohio abandons plans for coal plant, Jeff Bell, Business First, posted November 25, 2009.
Nov 25: American Municipal Power will not build coal-fired power plant
Elisa Young of Meigs CAN in Ohio and Judy Bonds of Coal River Mountain Watch cheers with sludge and sludge contaminated water from West Virginia. photo: Liz Veazy
COLUMBUS -- "American Municipal Power, the largest supplier of power to Cleveland, will announce at noon today that it has cancelled its coal-fired 1,000-megawatt power plant on the Ohio River in Meigs County. The main reason: escalating prices that have put the cost of the plant close to $4 billion. Two years ago, the estimated cost was $2.5 billion. AMP and its board of trustees, consisting of municipal power system directors, are looking at other fuels, principally natural gas. The board met last week. AMP did not return phone calls this morning. Cleveland Public Power marketing director Shelley Shockley confirmed the decision. 'The coal-fired plant will not go forward,' she said. 'The site will be reconfigured for the production of power, but the form of generation has not been determined,'" John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
-
Statement by Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action
- AMP announces likely conversion of AMPGS plant, press release, AMP
MARTINSVILLE, VA -- Martinsville joins majority of AMP-Ohio member communities supporting change in direction for AMP-Generating Station, Bill Wyatt, Martinsville Daily.
Nov 25: Why is AMP's Columbus attorney hiding key documents about the Meigs coal plant from AMP member communities?
In the above ad for Chester Willcox & Saxbe, the Columbus law firm representing American Municipal Power, attorney John Bentine is second from right, arms folded.
COLUMBUS -- "In refusing to comply with a public records request from Ohio Citizen Action, American Municipal Power attorney John Bentine revealed that AMP's member communities are not allowed access to the documents either. On October 19, Catherine Turcer, Director of Ohio Citizen Action's Money and Politics Project, sent a public records request to AMP President Marc Gerken, for the following: 'Any information related to the 'PowerSpan' technology, including information about any testing done on the technology at any location for carbon capture and sequestration and any testing done on the fertilizer generated by the process; and any information on the financial projections for sale of the fertilizer and/or costs for disposing of the ash from the PowerSpan process.'
Gerken did not reply, but his attorney, John Bentine, of the law firm Chester Willcox & Saxbe, did. On November 20, Bentine wrote Turcer and refused to comply with the request. In doing so, Bentine revealed that, in his words, '. . .no participating member has access to the requested records for the purpose of monitoring AMP's performance under its contract.' AMP's governing board consists of representatives of 19 member communities, plus, ex officio, Gerken and Bentine. How can the two staff members on the board members refuse to let the other 19 members know what is going on?" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
- Catherine Turcer letter to Marc Gerken, October 19, 2009
- John Bentine letter to Catherine Turcer, November 20, 2009
Nov 24: AMP hearing dates set
COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission has issued a case management schedule regarding the appeal of American Municipal Power’s air permit-to-install, including a new date for a de novo hearing which was originally set to begin this past August. The de novo hearing is set for 10 a.m., June 7-25 (if necessary) at ERAC’s offices in Columbus. 'De novo' is Latin for 'over again, anew.' The hearing will determine whether the air permit-to-install, which was approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, should be upheld or overturned. The Natural Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club are appealing the permit though the NRDC is providing lead counsel," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Nov 23: Interview with Cleveland neighbor Julie Lindstrom on AMP's proposed coal plant
Nov 19: City of Oberlin looking for clean electricity
Satellite photo of Oberlin, Ohio.
OBERLIN -- "The city of Oberlin is looking for "clean" electricity, enough to power about half of its customers day and night beginning in 2013. But the 12 million watts of power have to be generated with renewable fuels, either landfill gas, methane from manure digesters, wood waste or pulp from paper making. . . This month, the municipal system sent letters to a couple of dozen or so landfill projects in Ohio and nearby states asking for bids to supply the power under long-term contacts. One of those potential bidders is a power company close to Oberlin at a landfill operated by Republic Services, Inc., which sells the gas to a generating company on-site, Energy Development, Inc."
"Oberlin is a member of American Municipal Power Inc. of Columbus, a wholesale power supplier to more than 100 cities, including Cleveland. AMP is trying to build a coal-fired 1,000 megawatt power plant against heavy resistance from environmental groups. Oberlin has opted out of an early commitment to buy power from the new facility," John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Nov
19: Coal's Assault on Human HealthWASHINGTON, DC -- "Physicians for Social Responsibility has released a groundbreaking medical report, 'Coal’s Assault on Human Health,' which takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body. Coal combustion releases mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and dozens of other substances known to be hazardous to human health. This report looks at the cumulative harm inflicted by those pollutants on three major body organ systems: the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, and the nervous system."
"Several studies have shown a correlation between coal-related air pollutants and stroke. In Medicare patients, ambient levels of PM2.5 [fine particles 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller] have been correlated with hospital admission rates for cerebrovascular disease, and PM10 [coarse particles larger than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter] has been correlated with hospital admission for ischemic [blockage or restriction-caused] stroke. Eighty-seven percent of all strokes are ischemic. PM2.5 has also been associated with an increase in the risk of—and death from—a cerebrovascular event among post-menopausal women," Physicians for Social Responsibility.
MORE ON AMERICAN MUNICIPAL POWER'S PLAN FOR A NEW COAL PLANT
Nov 18: Meigs County neighbor Elisa Young speaks out on AMP's proposed coal plant
Nov 17: Sierra Club of Ohio steps up its fight against new coal-burning power plant
COLUMBUS -- "The Sierra Club of Ohio has opened a new front in its fight to prevent American Municipal Power, Inc. (AMP) from building a 1,000-megawatt, coal-burning power plant on the Ohio River. Nachy Kanfer of the Sierra Club said an independent report shows municipal members — such as Coldwater, Hillsdale, Marshall, Union City and Clinton — will be 'on the hook for electric power they may not be able to afford.' ... 'New Insights Into the Proposed AMP Generating Station' attempts to analyze recent market trends and concludes there is no economic reason for AMP members to participate in the proposed AMP plant, the report said," Don Reid, Daily Reporter.
Nov 16: City sticking with coal plant
HUDSON -- "The city's public works director says a new coal-fired plant that will eventually provide the city with a portion of its electrical power is on schedule and on budget. Public Works Director Priscilla Blanchard told Council Nov. 10 although some permits for the new plant are under appeal by the Sierra Club and Ohio Citizen Action environmental groups, the construction for the American Municipal Power Generating Station project in Meigs County is proceeding on schedule. AMP disputes the Columbus-based Sierra Club's claims that the plant is not on schedule, and the city's involvement in the plant would lead to higher electric rates for its residents," Laura Freeman, Hudson Hub Times. Published November 15.
Nov 13: AMP hearings stretch into 2010
COLUMBUS -- "The air permit is being appealed by NRDC, the Ohio Environmental Council, Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association located in Knoxville, Tenn. The de novo hearing regarding the appeal of AMP’s NPDES is scheduled for 10 a.m., Aug. 16-23, 2010 in Columbus. The NRDC, OEC and Sierra Club are also appealing this permit. Opponents felt the permit as issued would allow AMP to discharge pollutants into the Ohio River, John’s Run and unnamed tributaries from the plant. Opponents also felt Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski failed to establish discharge limits in the permit based on Best Available Technology," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
MORE ON THE PROPOSED AMP COAL PLANT
Nov 12: Letter: Opposes plan to build power plant
HUDSON -- "The fact is, AMP is good at buying power on the market (that's why Hudson rates are low compared to the Ohio average) not at building coal plants. Our officials need to pressure the company to abandon this ill-conceived plant and take advantage of low market prices instead. We can't afford to pay sky-high rates just so AMP doesn't have to admit they made a mistake," Margaret and Jack O'Toole, letter to the editor, Hudson Hub Times.
Nov 11: Coalfield leaders speak out on mountaintop removal coal mining
American Municipal Power (AMP) has told the State of Ohio it plans to use a mix of coal from Ohio and Central Appalachia, where mountaintop removal takes place, at its proposed coal plant in Meigs County.
Nov 10: Meigs County: The worst place in Ohio to build another coal plant
Reason #10: Meigs and the other river counties
already suffer the state's highest death rates from power plant
pollutionCOLUMBUS -- "People in Meigs and other Ohio River counties already suffer a higher death rate from power plant pollution than other regions of Ohio, according to an analysis by Abt Associates for the Clean Air Task Force, using methods developed for and employed by the U.S. EPA. Given this, why would American Municipal Power choose Meigs County for its proposed 1,000 MW coal plant? Don't AMP officials owe the people of Meigs County an answer?" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Nov
9: $8.4 million this
year Federal funds fuel coal-mine cleanup
COLUMBUS -- "Ohio has more than 36,000 acres of land damaged by underground and strip mines, an area equal in size to Pittsburgh. Sulfuric acid, dissolved metals and sediment that leach from old mines have poisoned and clogged more than 1,000 miles of Ohio streams. And how much money is needed to fix all the sites right now? A little more than $300 million. And new problems pop up, adding to the list... Some advocates say abandoned-mine problems will never go away. New sources of acid-mine drainage, which poisons water and turns it orange and white, surface all the time, said Amy Mackey, water-quality coordinator with the Raccoon Creek Partnership," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
COLUMBUS -- U.S. EPA orders more safety tests at coal-ash ponds, AEP's West Virginia site similar to one that failed in 2008, Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch. Published November 8.
Nov 6: Yellow Springs Councilwoman Judith Hempfling talks about AMP's proposed coal plant
Nov 4: Group claims coal plant will cost Hudson
HUDSON -- "The city has yet to respond to a Columbus-based environmental group's claim that the city's power rates will increase due to its involvement in a new coal-burning plant. City Communications Manager Jody Roberts said city officials have looked into the situation and gathered all the necessary information, but will not discuss it until a City Council workshop on Nov. 10... The plant also is opposed by Ohio Citizen Action, the state's largest environmental group. That group, in 2008, also claimed the city could face higher costs. It also objected to the pollution from coal plants," Laura Freeman, Hudson Hub Times.
Nov 3: Plan for coal-fired plant in South Dakota shelved after 4 utilities drop out
A rendering of the proposed Big Stone II coal plant
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- "A power plant ran out of steam Monday as developers announced that they have decided not to build the $1.6 billion Big Stone II project near South Dakota's border with Minnesota. The joint announcement by four utilities brings to an end one of the larger environmental debates in the state in recent years because of mounting public concerns about global warming and energy policy. Seven utilities were partners when the 500- to 600-megawatt coal-fired plant was announced in 2004, but three dropped out," Tom Meersman, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune.
Big Stone II was estimated to cost $1.6 billion for a 580 megawatt plant, or $2.759 million per megawatt of construction costs. The proposed AMP coal-fired power plant in Meigs County is estimated at $3.385 million per megawatt.
Nov 3: Our opinion: We see nothing toxic about electric plant
NEW PHILADELPHIA -- "A new report by the Sierra Club claims that a proposed electric generating plant in southern Ohio in which the city of Dover has an interest may become a 'toxic asset' for the city. We think it is an investment in the future. The plant in Meigs County will be built by American Municipal Power – Ohio, of which Dover is a member... The Sierra Club report, released Thursday, said that Ohio faces no further growth in its need for electricity in the foreseeable future, partly because of the impact of the recession. But how about the unforeseeable future?," editorial, Dover-New Philadelphia Times-Reporter.
Oct 28: Proposal fires up Painesville residents
PAINESVILLE -- "During a town hall-style forum Tuesday night, representatives from the Sierra Club informed residents about the proposed coal plant that will be built in southern Ohio. In 2007, Painesville City Council voted to participate in the construction of the plant, along with 81 other municipalities that are members of American Municipal Power. Resident Angelo Cimaglio said he was confused about the city's involvement. If council did indeed participate, Cimaglio said he thinks it was the wrong decision to make. 'Why are we a city of 17,000 involved in a deal like this?' said Cimaglio, adding Painesville is small compared to Cleveland, which also is participating. 'I don't know how they sold this to our city fathers,'" Jacob Lammers, The News-Herald.
Oct 27: Appeals for permits on AMP Meigs County plant delayed again; Schedule still shrouded in uncertainty
CLEVELAND -- "Hearings on the
air and water pollution permits for the controversial proposed AMP coal
plant in Meigs County have apparently been delayed until at least the late
summer of 2010. The Environmental Review Appeals Commission, which is
hearing appeals of both permits, has been ordered by a Franklin County
court to set a new schedule of hearings for all of its pending cases
following a series of legislative and court actions. Lawsuits surrounding
the Meigs County permits are likely to go on for several years, since they
involve potential major violations of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water
Act. In the meantime, utilities across the country have been canceling
coal plants, due to their high cost and regulatory volatility. Eleven
plants have been cancelled in 2009 alone. AMP official Dan Preising told a newspaper this summer that AMP 'intends to 'construct through' the lawsuits rather than wait until they are settled before proceeding.' This high-risk strategy would seem to invite trouble – what if AMP loses these lawsuits or can’t issue bonds and is forced to halt construction or go back to the drawing board? Under the take-or-pay contracts for this plant, the full financial burden falls on the municipalities – not on AMP itself or its central staff. Given the recent news that the cost of AMP’s Prairie State plant has risen $1 million a day in the last six months, AMP communities would do well to cancel the Meigs County plant before risking more of their ratepayers’ money," Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
CLEVELAND -- Rep. Kucinich joins students in challenging new coal plant, Mattie Reitman, It's Getting Hot in Here.
Oct 26: Cost of Prairie State coal plant goes up $1.5 million a day from March to October 2009
CLEVELAND -- "The cost of the Prairie State coal plant, being built in Illinois by American Municipal Power (AMP) and other utilities, has risen by $230 million in the last six months, according to documents AMP has filed as part of an October 15, 2009 bond issue. The document says construction costs are now $4.29 billion, up from $4.06 billion in a March 2009 RW Beck feasibility study. Even at a cost of $4.29 billion, or $2.712 million per megawatt, Prairie State is much less expensive than AMP’s proposed new coal plant in Meigs County, which is currently estimated at $3.385 million per megawatt. The Prairie State plant is already under construction, meaning that costs have presumably stabilized. The beleaguered AMP Meigs County plant has been delayed repeatedly and AMP has apparently not been able to obtain a fixed price from the contractor. Because AMP communities have signed “take or pay” contracts to own a portion of these plants, they will be stuck with paying for them no matter how high the costs go. The AMP communities can still make a joint decision to cancel the Meigs plant," Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
CLEVELAND -- Sierra Club of Ohio battles to keep AMP from building new plant on Ohio River, John Funk, Cleveland Plain Dealer.
COLUMBUS -- Environmental group, power company disagree on Painesville electric rates, Jacob Lammers, Willoughby News-Herald.
COLUMBUS -- Sierra Club aims to clamp AMP, Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Oct 23: New report says coal plant a bad deal
TIFFIN -- "A new report released by the Sierra Club Thursday found there is no economic reason for AMP members to participate in the proposed building of an AMP coal plant in Meigs County in southeast Ohio. Republic, Sycamore and Carey are members of AMP. The report, titled 'New Insights Into the Proposed AMP Generating Station: October 2009,' analyzes recent market trends and concludes ratepayers in AMP member communities are "on the hook" for electric power they may not be able to afford. 'It's beyond time for AMP's members to get together and cancel the project before it's too late,' Nachy Kanfer, a representative of Sierra Club, stated in a news release. 'Under no circumstances could this plant now be a good deal for AMP ratepayers,'" Nick Dutro, Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune.
COLUMBUS -- Sierra report predicts high bill, Environmental group says new AMP plant to surprise consumers, Bob Downing, Akron Beacon Journal.
DANVILLE, VA -- Sierra Club: New AMP plant will be a high-cost source of power, Denice Thibodeau, Danville News.
Oct 20: National Academy blockbuster: Coal’s huge hidden costs
Air pollution damages from coal generation for 406 plants, 2005 (2007 U.S. Dollars). Damages related to climate changes effects are not included.
CHARLESTON, WV -- "Coal industry lobbyists and coal-state politicians like to remind us that coal is a relatively cheap source of energy. But in a major new report out today, the National Academy of Sciences details some of the huge 'hidden costs' of coal: More than $62 billion a year in 'external damages' — that is, premature deaths from air pollution. Those coal costs are part of the $120 billion in 'hidden costs' that the academy’s National Research Council documented in its report, 'Hidden Costs of Energy: Unpriced Consequences of Energy Production and Use,'" Ken Ward, Jr., Coal Tattoo, Charleston Gazette.
Oct 20: Ben Webb to speak on mountaintop removal at Oberlin's First Church on Thursday, October 29
CLEVELAND -- "Please join us to hear Ben Webb speak about mountaintop removal coal mining at Oberlin's First Church (106 N. Main St.) on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. Ben Webb lives in Peachtree, West Virginia, 400 yards below a mountaintop removal coal mining site. He and his family deal with daily blasting from the coal company, silica dust, and water contamination. Ben Webb's ancestors settled in this area in the 1820's, seven generations ago. Ben works for Coal River Mountain Watch, a small grassroots environmental organization working to abolish mountaintop removal coal mining and build sustainable communities. He is the Tour Coordinator, Website Designer, and Community Organizer for the Coal River Valley. We'll also have information for you on where Oberlin City Council candidates stand on the issue of American Municipal Power's (AMP) proposed coal plant. This plant would get some of its coal from Central Appalachia, where mountaintop removal takes place. For more information call me at 216.861.5200 x305 or email me at lilg@ohiocitizen.org," Liz Ilg, Cleveland Area Program Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
MORE ON THE PROPOSED AMP COAL PLANT
Oct 16: AMP plant clears EPA air hurdle
COLUMBUS -- "State approval of a change to an air quality permit has moved American Municipal Power Inc. closer to building a $3 billion power plant along the Ohio River. The Ohio EPA on Oct. 8 approved a modification to its permit for the 1,000-megawatt coal-fired plant project near Letart Falls in Meigs County. The agency said it issued the air permit in February 2008, but AMP’s project, like many nationwide, became subject to new technology requirements as a result of federal court actions last year... Also unresolved is an appeal by environmental groups of Ohio EPA’s 2008 decision to issue the air permit for the proposed plant. The groups, which include the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Ohio Environmental Council, have claimed AMP’s plan fails to call for the installation of the latest clean-coal technology," Jeff Bell, Columbus Business First.
Oct 13: Interview with Martinsville, Virginia City Councilman Danny Turner on proposed AMP coal plant
Oct 12: Ohio EPA finalizes AMP permit; AMP celebrates, opponents protest
COLUMBUS -- "To the celebration of American Municipal Power and the chagrin of environmental opponents, on Friday the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency finalized an administrative modification to the air permit-to-install originally issued on Feb. 7, 2008, to AMP for its proposed coal-fired power plant for Letart Falls... Thom Cmar, attorney for NRDC, said of particular concern to his organization is mercury. 'Mercury concerns us because it can cause serious health problems in mothers and children in terms of developmental and physiological disorders,' Cmar said. 'The limits in the permit for AMP are significantly higher than limits being agreed to by many other new coal plants being built around the country,'" Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Oct 8: A bridge loan to nowhere:
State officials' criticisms of loan trampled in rush to subsidize AMP coal plant project
Do AMP member communities know they are already on the hook for $30 million even if AMP can't get financing to build the plant?
COLUMBUS -- "On June 9, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland
announced that the State would give AMP-Ohio (now called "AMP") a $30
million interest-free "bridge loan" for five years for its proposed coal
plant in Meigs County. The loan comes out of stimulus money administered
by the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority. But internal state
documents unearthed by an Ohio Citizen Action public records request show
that the premises of the loan had been lacerated by state officials during
the review process in April. The key memo examining the premises of the loan application was written on April 2 by Bob Brown, Project Manager, Ohio Coal Development Office, which is part of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority. In it, Brown argued -- 'No information has been provided on the status of efforts to line up financing of $3.2 Billion for the project. If the project is to start construction by January 2010, negotiations with banks should be in an advanced stage. . . . Also, there is a catch 22 here as follows -- should OCDO [Ohio Coal Development Office] invest $30 million in a project that cannot possibly obtain funding at the banks and if funding is likely, why is a $30 million bridge loan important in obtaining that funding?' " Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Oct 2: Ohio Citizen Action joins legal action against new rules for appealing environmental permits
COLUMBUS -- "Ohio Citizen Action yesterday joined with a dozen other environmental plaintiffs in filing a motion to intervene in the Franklin County Common Pleas court decisions involving appeals of environmental permits. The groups told the court that citizens' rights to due process are jeopardized by the new severely abbreviated Environmental Review Appeals Commission schedule, which was slipped into the Ohio budget bill at the last minute. Judge Patrick Sheeran is hearing the case, originally filed by AEP and 11 other companies. All of the plaintiffs have cases pending before the review board," Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Oct 2: Painesville neighbors Sandy Miller, Richard Tibbits, and Painesville Councilman Andrew Flock discuss AMP's proposed coal plant
Oct 1: EPA targets big greenhouse-gas polluters
Rule would affect Ohio power plants fueled by coal
American Municipal Power's Richard Gorsuch station
WASHINGTON, DC -- "The Environmental Protection Agency took steps yesterday to control for the first time the emissions from power plants, factories and refineries that are blamed for global warming... Any change would have a big impact in Ohio, where 22 coal-burning power plants and other large factories emitted more than 138 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2008. Coal-fired power plants are among the biggest emitters of the global-warming gas. One of the smallest utility-owned power plants, American Municipal Power's Richard Gorsuch station near Marietta, emitted 7.6 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2008. One of the largest, American Electric Power's Gavin plant along the Ohio River near Cheshire, emitted 78.5 million tons," Dina Cappiello, Associated Press.
Sep 30: Big utilities pull back on coal plant plans
NEW
YORK -- "Some of the largest electric utilities in the American Southwest
are shifting away from coal-fired power generation and toward an increased
reliance on renewables and energy efficiency — in part due to the
gathering momentum behind carbon cap-and-trade legislation at the federal
level. Earlier this year, Arizona Public Service, Arizona’s largest
utility with 1.1 million customers, released a plan outlining its strategy
for future energy production in the state. The company included no new
coal-fired plants in the plan, despite an anticipated 50 percent rise in
energy demand by 2025. In an interview, Ed Fox, vice president and chief
sustainability officer for Arizona Public Service, said that the company
would not build another coal-fired plant until 'new technology comes along
that allows us to manage pollutants, including carbon dioxide,'" John
Collins Rudolph, New York Times. Sep 24: 2008 coal-fired power plant pollution
Click the map for emissions data on each power plant
CINCINNATI -- "Ohio is ranked #1 in the nation for toxic air pollution because of its heavy concentration of coal-fired power plants. These plants, many of which are located on the Ohio River, cause health problems and environmental damage in Ohio and are a major cause of acid rain in New York and other eastern states. With twenty coal-fired power plants already putting 976,606 tons of pollution into the air, it's hard to believe that another coal-fired plant is being proposed for southeast Ohio. Yet, American Municipal Power (AMP) is proposing to build a 960 megawatt, traditional pulverized coal plant in Meigs County," Rachael Belz, Ohio Citizen Action.
Sep 24: Interview with Oberlin City Council President David Sonner on proposed AMP coal plant
Sep 22: Refitted to bury emissions, plant draws attention
American Electric Power’s carbon dioxide capture facility at the Mountaineer plant from the outside. (Kevin Riddell/New York Times )
NEW HAVEN, WV -- "A behemoth built in 1980, long before global warming stirred broad concern, Mountaineer is poised to become the world’s first coal-fired power plant to capture and bury some of the carbon dioxide it churns out. The hope is that the gas will stay deep underground for millenniums rather than entering the atmosphere as a heat-trapping pollutant.... Some local residents are skeptical. 'It doesn’t matter to me if a scientist says it may or may not leak,' said Elisa Young, an anti-coal activist who lives nearby on the Ohio side of the river. 'That’s not going to stop it from leaking when push comes to shove,'" Matthew Wald, New York Times.
Sep 17: Environmental organizations tell court new permit appeals procedures violate due process and citizens rights
CLEVELAND -- "Five environmental
organizations yesterday moved to intervene in the Franklin County Court of
appeals case involving the state board which hears appeals of Ohio EPA
decisions. The citizens groups told the court that the Environmental
Review Appeals Commission (ERAC)'s new schedule and rules violate due
process and citizens rights. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra
Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Ohio Environmental Council,
and SunCoke Watch all have cases pending before ERAC, including the appeal
of the air permit for American Municipal Power's proposed coal plant in
Meigs County. The court has scheduled a conference and hearing on the
case, which was filed by American Electric Power and twelve other
companies, on Monday, September 21," Ohio Citizen
Action.
Sep 16: Coal-fired power plants may get stricter rules
Two Ohio River sites part of U.S. EPA study on water pollution
American Electric Power's Cardinal coal plant on the Ohio River
COLUMBUS -- "Power companies likely will face stricter limits on water pollution from their coal-fired power plants, federal officials said yesterday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's announcement follows a two-year study that showed a 'high level' of pollutants in power-plant wastewater released to lakes and streams. The study included two American Electric Power plants along the Ohio River. The announcement comes one day after environmental advocacy groups threatened to sue the EPA to make it strengthen existing water-pollution limits and create new ones for toxic metals such as arsenic and lead. Advocates say the EPA has done little to address the problem in more than 26 years, despite rules that require protections be reviewed every five years," Spencer Hunt, Columbus Dispatch.
Sep 11: Minnesota utility quits Big Stone II
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- "The utility leading an effort to build a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant in South Dakota that would serve five states has pulled out of the project. Minnesota-based Otter Tail Power Co. decided Friday to abandon its plans for Big Stone II. Otter Tail cited the economic downturn and uncertainty about federal legislation to regulate carbon emissions. Otter Tail's withdrawal makes it less likely the plant will be built. Otter Tail and four other utilities had worked to line up investors for the plant and had planned to decide this fall if they would move forward," Elizabeth Dunbar, Associated Press.
Sep 11: Court suspends new hearing schedule for environmental permit appeals
COLUMBUS -- "The 10th District Court of Appeals in Franklin County yesterday issued an order suspending a proposed new hearing schedule at the Environmental Review Appeals Commission. The Commission had announced a drastically truncated schedule after the legislature passed a law requiring all appeals for cases filed before April 2008 to be complete by December 15, 2009. The court issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed on September 8 by American Electric Power and 12 other companies, who charge that the Commission's new rules violate due process. The court set a hearing on the matter for September 17.
One of the 339 appeals affected by the chaos at the Environmental Review Appeals Commission is the appeal of the Clean Air Act permit for AMP's proposed coal plant in Meigs County. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, and Ohio Environmental Council have challenged the permit citing violations of the Clean Air Act. Under the old rules, the hearing had been indefinitely postponed because Ohio EPA had failed to issue a permit modification under a previous deadline. A hearing, once scheduled, would normally have taken several weeks and included the presentation of extensive evidence by all of the parties involved. Under the new rules, the hearing has been scheduled for December 1, 2009 and will last a total of four hours. Ohio EPA still has not produced the permit modification necessary for the hearing," Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Sep 9: Citizens win after state agency deals a death blow to coal plants
LANSING, MI -- "Concerned
citizens declared a major victory today after the Michigan Public Service
Commission staff dealt a death blow to two controversial dirty coal plant
projects, rejecting in a filing today the construction of one in Rogers
City and delaying a decision on a second one in Bay City until 2022.
'These critical decisions mean Michigan is ready to open the door to clean
energy jobs and walk away from dirty coal,' Sierra Club-Michigan Executive
Director Anne Woiwode said. 'For years, the people of Michigan spoke loud
and clear: No more dirty coal and yes to clean renewable energy. And
today, the citizens of Michigan have a much-deserved victory in the fight
to build a strong, clean energy future,'" press release, Clean Energy Now. Sep 8: Inhaling a heart attack: How air pollution can cause heart disease
ANN ARBOR, MI -- "It’s well known that measures such as exercise, a healthy diet and not smoking can help reduce high blood pressure, but researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have determined the very air we breathe can be an invisible catalyst to heart disease. Inhaling air pollution over just two hours caused a significant increase in diastolic blood pressure, the lower number on blood pressure readings, according to new U-M research," Shantell Kirkendoll, University of Michigan Health System.
Sep 8: Abandoned mines can threaten homes, schools, roads
Gillespie School District superintendent Paul Skeans shows off cracks on the wall and floor inside the Benld Elementary School caused by mine subsidence and the ultimate condemning of the building in Benld, Ill. (Seth Perlman/Associated Press)
BENLD, IL -- "The way a few teachers tell it, the elementary school in the central Illinois farming town suddenly started giving off freakish cracking and popping sounds on a Saturday not too long ago. Walls sprouted lightning bolt-shaped cracks and floors buckled, dooming the building on a day no students thankfully were inside. The culprit: A long-abandoned coal mine hundreds of feet below whose pillars had given way. It's a wildly unpredictable phenomenon all too common across coal country, where over the years scores of homes, schools, businesses and roads have cropped up over closed mines and threatened their stability," Jim Suhr, Associated Press. Published September 5.
Meigs County, the site of the proposed AMP coal plant, also contains miles of abandoned mines. Adding to the threat would be AMP's plan to use "carbon capture and sequestration," tests of which have caused seismic reactions.
Aug 24: Santee Cooper nixes plan for coal plant
PINOPOLIS, SC -- "Santee Cooper will not pursue construction of a controversial coal-fired power plant that has drawn intense opposition from environmentalists over the amount of mercury and greenhouse gas pollution the facility would release. A committee of the state-owned utility voted this morning to suspend an effort to secure permits for the $2.2 billion plant in Florence County along the Great Pee Dee River. The full Santee Cooper board is expected to ratify the vote at noon today. The agency’s action makes it unlikely the plant will ever be built, said Santee Cooper board Chairman O.L. Thompson," Sammy Fretwell, Myrtle Beach Sun News.
Aug 24: Cleveland should reject the AMP-Ohio coal deal
SOUTH EUCLID -- "We should pull back the
curtain on Cleveland's parallel, double-talk universe. Alternative energy
manufacturers surely noticed that when City Council had the opportunity to
invest in 50 years of electricity generation for Muny Light, they chose to
support a 19th-century coal plant and risk it all on unproven but probably
very expensive carbon sequestration technology. We certainly have an
unparalleled loyalty to the dying dinosaurs. Only two Cleveland
councilmen, Mike Polensek and Brian Cummins, embraced the future and voted
no on the AMP-Ohio coal power plant. Voters should demand that candidates
for city government commit to pulling out of the AMP-Ohio deal and support
the new technologies they say they wish to attract here. We want a
universe in which our politicians' deeds and words are identical," Bob
Greenbaum, letter to the editor, Cleveland Plain
Dealer. Published August 22.Aug 24: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 8:
Meigs County has no hospitals
COLUMBUS -- "AMP officials in Columbus have picked Meigs County, Ohio, as the proposed site for their controversial new coal plant. Given the substantial and increasing evidence of how coal plants make their neighbors sick (see, for example, Harvard School of Public Health study), one would expect the AMP officials to look for a county with superb medical care. Instead, however, they chose Meigs County, which has no hospitals at all. Meigs County is one of 9 Ohio counties without any hospitals. The others are Carroll, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, Preble, Putnam, and Vinton counties, according to the Ohio Department of Health list of hospitals. The Ohio counties with the most hospitals are Cuyahoga (19), Franklin (15), and Hamilton (12)," Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Aug 18: The future of coal
Coal won't be around forever. The time is now to start weaning the U.S. from its dependence
ROANOKE, VA -- "A state judge's
invalidation of a single air quality permit for the coal-fired power plant
in Wise County is unlikely to convince Dominion Power to 'take this ruling
as a sign that it needs to leave expensive coal-fired power plants in the
past and move quickly toward developing sustainable, clean energy sources
for a 21st century green economy,' as Cale Jaffe, senior attorney for the
Southern Environmental Law Center, urged... First comes the news in 'Peak
Oil' guru Richard Heinberg's new book, 'Blackout: Coal, Climate and the
Last Energy Crisis,' which lays out the case that America's coal reserves
are far shallower than thought. Coal company executives want Americans to
think this nation is the Saudi Arabia of coal, with a virtually
inexhaustible supply. Heinberg looks at studies of coal reserves and comes
to a vastly different conclusion: The world is less than 20 years away
from 'Peak Coal' -- the point at which coal production will begin an
inevitable and irreversible decline. Heinberg is not alone. The U.S.
Geological Service is predicting that the Appalachia region will reach
peak coal even sooner, in about 10 years. The second troubling development
for coal is the growing concern that carbon capture and sequestration
technology -- painted as the cure-all for continuing to burn coal and
still meet greenhouse gas reduction goals -- will be far more costly and
difficult to implement than proponents have claimed," editorial, Roanoke Times. Published August 16. American Municipal Power officials are promising to use Powerspan, a carbon capture system, at their proposed Meigs county coal plant, even though the technology has never been tested on a commercial scale. -- Rachael Belz, AMP Program organizer.
Aug 18: Newly released internal State memo shows:
Proposed AMP plant in Meigs County to use mountaintop removal coal
COLUMBUS -- "State documents newly released to Ohio Citizen Action show that the managers of the proposed AMP plant in Meigs County will be using mountaintop removal coal from Central Appalachia. This is confirmed in an Ohio Coal Development Office staff recommendation to the Office's Technical Advisory Committee, presented at a May 21, 2009 meeting: 'The AMPGS [AMP Generating Station] coal feed will contain a substantial proportion of Ohio coal mixed with other Central Appalachian coals available on the Ohio River.' In the coal industry, 'Central Appalachia' refers to the states of West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. In those states, coal extracted by underground mining and surface mining, including mountaintop removal mining, are mixed at rail depots prior to shipment to Ohio. The coal arriving in Ohio from Central Appalachia is therefore a mixture of coals, including mountaintop coal.
In a January 27, 2009 letter to Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action, AMP-Ohio attorney Charles Saxbe said, 'AMP-Ohio has never stated that it plans to use coal obtained through mountaintop removal, and AMP-Ohio's air permit application and later announcements clearly state that AMP-Ohio will be using a blend of coal from different regions. Who that coal is mined by, and what methods they will use has not been determined.' Saxbe threatened Buchanan with legal action if she subsequently said or wrote that the proposed coal plant would use coal extracted by mountaintop top removal. It remains AMP's public position that they don't know where they will buy coal from. It is not possible to design a coal plant without knowing the specifications of the coal to be used as fuel, nor is it possible to calculate the operational costs without knowing the price of the coal. Thus, planners must decide early on where the coal would come from, and as the new State documents show, they have. The internal State documents were recently obtained by Ohio Citizen Action through a May 22, 2009 public records request to the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority. State officials sat on the request for two months, saying their attorneys were reviewing the documents" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Aug 17: New coal ads emphasize energy costs in bid for 'hearts and minds'
NEW YORK, NY -- "Coal's well-funded lobbying group today launched a television ad campaign featuring ordinary people talking about the importance of low-cost electricity, a message analysts described as coal's effort to rebrand itself before the Senate tackles climate legislation... The ads come as American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity pushes forcefully to gain support for coal. The lobbying group just rolled out a so-called citizens army of more than 200,000 volunteers to visit town hall meetings and other functions attended by members of Congress, where they will ask questions about energy policy. That effort is aimed at influencing senators, particularly those from states that rely on coal for power," Anne Mulkern, New York Times. Published August 14.
Aug 14: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 7: Meigs County children less likely to be covered by health insurance than those in any other Ohio county.
COLUMBUS -- "Children in Meigs county are less likely to be covered by health insurance than those in any other Ohio county, according to the most recent survey by the Ohio Department of Health. The State estimated that 18.6% of Meigs county children were uninsured; the state average is 9.8%. Among people of all ages, Meigs county's uninsured rate was 17.9%, second only to Adams county at 18.6%. The state average is 11.2%. Meigs county already has four coal-fired power plants within 12 miles, and it is well-known what coal plants do to human health. Why would American Municipal Power want to build another coal plant in the same place, knowing how hard it will be for residents to cover the costs of the sickness that will result?" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Aug 13: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 6: Meigs County is among the 8 Ohio counties with the fewest primary care physicians per person
COLUMBUS -- "Meigs County is among the 8 Ohio counties with fewest primary care physicians per person, according to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Health. The ratio of population to primary care physicians in Meigs county is 3,852. This is more than four times worse than the statewide ratio of 852. It puts Meigs county among the lowest in the state, along with Champaign, Harrison, Morgan, Morrow, Noble, Perry and Vinton counties. Meigs county already has four coal-fired power plants within 12 miles, and it is well-known what coal plants do to human health. Why would American Municipal Power want to build another coal plant in the same place, knowing how ill-equipped the county is to handle the sickness that will result?" Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Aug 13: Electricity prices plummet
NEW YORK, NY -- "Slack demand for
electricity across the U.S. is leading to some of the sharpest reductions
in power prices in recent years, offering a break for consumers and
businesses who just a year ago were getting crunched by massive
electricity bills. On Friday, the nation's largest wholesale power market
serving parts of 13 states east of the Rockies is expected to report that
electricity demand fell 4.4% in the first half of the year. That helped to
push down spot market prices by 40% during the first half of this year...
The falloff in demand represents a reversal of what has been one of the
steadiest trends in business. For decades, the utility sector could rely
on a gradual increase in electricity demand. In 45 of the past 58 years,
year-over-year growth exceeded 2%. In fact, there only have been five
years since 1950 in which electricity demand has dropped in absolute
terms. But this year is shaping up to have the sharpest falloff in more
than half a century, and coming on top of declines in 2008, could be the
first period of consecutive annual declines since at least 1950... The
flagging economy has resulted in a slump in demand that has jolted some
energy markets. American Electric Power Co. and Southern Co., for example,
both reported double-digit drops in industrial electricity use for the
past quarter. Meanwhile, natural gas, which strongly influences
electricity prices, has fallen below $4 per million BTUs, or British
thermal units. That's down from $12 at last year's peak. For many
businesses, the cost of electricity represents one of the few bright spots
in a dismal economy. Andy Morgan, president of Pickard China Inc. in
Antioch, Ill., which makes fine china, figures his electricity cost is
down 30% to 40%. Last year, when everything was spiking, he looked at
different options -- including negotiating a fixed-price contract for
energy with a supplier. He says he held off and now he's happy he did...
"There's more supply than demand and prices are really low so it doesn't
make sense to build anything," says John Shelk, president of the Electric
Power Supply Association in Washington, D.C., a group that represents
power generators," Rebecca Smith, Wall Street
Journal. Subscription
only - no link.Today's Wall Street Journal confirms what Ohio Citizen Action has been saying about American Municipal Power's proposed coal plant in Meigs County: that its assumptions about demand and price are way off the mark. Given what we all know now, if AMP's board decides to go ahead with this new plant, it would open in a calamitous economic climate.
Aug 12: Ohio Edison agrees to repower power plant with renewable biomass fuel
Agreement will reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 1.3 million tons a year
Ohio Edison's R.E. Burger plant
WASHINGTON, DC -- "Ohio Edison Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has agreed in a consent decree to repower one of its coal-fired power plants using primarily renewable biomass fuels, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. In the agreement, filed in federal court in Columbus, Ohio and joined by the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Ohio Edison will repower the R.E. Burger Units 4 and 5 near Shadyside, Ohio with biomass fuel. The consent decree modifies a 2005 consent decree requiring Ohio Edison to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) at several of its coal-fired plants," press release, U.S. Department of Justice.
Aug 12: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 5: Meigs County already has the second highest rate of death from cancer in Ohio
COLUMBUS -- "People living in
Meigs county have an annual age adjusted death rate from cancer of 252.9
per 100,000 population, according to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of
Health. That is the second highest rate of all Ohio counties, behind only
Perry county, and 28% higher than the statewide rate. With four coal-fired
power plants already within 12 miles, and given the well-known damage coal plants do to human health,
why on earth would American Municipal Power want to build another coal
plant in the same place?," Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action. Aug 11: The worst place in Ohio to put another coal plant, part 4: Meigs County already has the second highest
rate of death from heart
disease in OhioCLEVELAND -- "People living in Meigs county have an annual age adjusted death rate from heart disease of 327.3 per 100,000 population, according to the most recent data from the Ohio Department of Health. That is the second highest rate of all Ohio counties, behind only Jefferson county, and 52% higher than the statewide rate. With four coal-fired power plants already within 12 miles, and given the well-known damage coal plants do to human health, why on earth would American Municipal Power want to build another coal plant in the same place?," Paul Ryder, Organizing Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
Aug 4: Critics take new step to block Kansas coal plant
The current Sunflower Electric Power Plant, Holcomb, Kansas.
TOPEKA, KA -- " An environmental group said Monday it has launched a new legal attack on a proposed coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas. The Sierra Club filed a request Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington for an order to force the federal Rural Utilities Service to study the potential environmental effects of the coal plant and to look for alternatives for generating electricity... 'The federal government needs to evaluate options before it moves ahead with a risky project,' said Stephanie Cole, a Sierra Club spokeswoman," John Hanna, Associated Press.
Aug 11: Coal's future wagered on carbon capture
Efforts to tame greenhouse gas enjoy funding but face hurdles
 Chilled-ammonia carbon capture equipment developed by Alstom is under construction at American Electric Power's power plant in New Haven, WV. |
Aug 3: Carbon sequestration could allow increased power plant emissions of other dangerous pollutants
CINCINNATI -- "Power plant emissions that cause acid rain, water pollution and destruction of the ozone layer may actually be made worse by capturing the carbon dioxide (CO2) and pumping it deep underground according to a study reported online and an upcoming International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control suggests. This increase of other emissions is largely because collecting and burying CO2 -- a process called carbon sequestration -- requires additional energy, new equipment and new chemical reactions at the plants. And using current technology, meeting all of these requirements releases extra pollutants. The coal plant AMP proposes to build in Meigs County, Ohio plans to utilize carbon capture and sequestration. The Meigs County area already suffers from high levels of coal plant pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, due to the four coal-fired power plants located in the area," Rachael Belz, AMP Campaign Organizer, Ohio Citizen Action.
July 22: Who can pull the plug on the proposed AMP coal plant? It's up to the AMP board to protect the communities.
CLEVELAND -- "If any of Ohio’s
privately-owned utilities, like FirstEnergy, Duke, or AEP, were proposing
to build a new power plant, they would be required to go before a
state-level regulatory body -- the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio --
to justify the costs. Instead, it’s up to the hundreds of elected
officials of AMP’s member communities to decide whether they can justify
charging their ratepayers with the costs of this $3.25 billion plant for
the next 50 years... If AMP’s member communities decide to cancel the
plant, they will not be alone. Utilities and public power companies have
pulled the plug on 100 proposed coal plants since 2001, deciding to pursue
more cost-efficient and responsible alternatives," Sandy Buchanan,
Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
July 10: AMP air permit hearing postponed
COLUMBUS -- "Yesterday the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission ruled the de novo hearing regarding an appeal of the American Municipal Power Generation Station’s air permit set for August has been 'indefinitely postponed,' according to Shannon Fisk, attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Fisk said the commission issued the order because the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has not finished the Maximum Achievable Control Technology modifications required for the air permit. A hearing on these MACT modifications to AMP’s air permit was held in June because one of the rules relied upon in the original permit is no longer applicable on a federal level," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
July 10: Milestone: Sierra Club announces 100 U.S. coal plant plans have been abandoned since 2001
CINCINNATI -- "Today, the Sierra
Club announced that Americans can breathe easier as Intermountain Power’s
coal plant in Utah became the 100th new coal plant to be prevented or
abandoned since the beginning of the "coal rush" in 2001. The July 9
Intermountain Power announcement came just one week after Los Angeles
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the city would end coal use by 2020,
and announced the same day as a decision by Basin Electric Power in South
Dakota to pull plans for a new coal-fired power plant. 'We are witnessing
a remarkable transformation toward a cleaner, healthier, more secure
future,' said Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal
Campaign. 'At the beginning of the coal rush in 2001, it seemed inevitable
that as many as 150 new proposed coal plants would get built. Since then
we’ve seen an incredible change in the way people, businesses and
governments -- like Los Angeles -- are thinking about energy, figuring out
how to generate and use it more cleanly and efficiently. Coal is no longer
a smart or cost-effective option. We can create jobs and electricity
through clean energy technology made in America,'" Rachael Belz,
Development Director, Ohio Citizen Action.
July 9: Appeal of AMP air permit set for August
COLUMBUS -- "A major legal showdown is set for Aug. 3-21 in Columbus with the air permit-to-install for the American Municipal Power Generation Station hanging in the balance. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency finalized the air permit in February of last year. The permit was promptly appealed by opponents the Natural Resources Defense Council, Ohio Environmental Council, Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association which is located in Knoxville, Tenn. The appeal was heard by the Ohio Environmental Review Appeals Commission which granted a de novo hearing set for August. De novo is a Latin term for 'over again, anew' and in legal terms is a form of appeal in which the appeals court holds a trial as if no prior trial had been held," Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
July 1: Amendment to reduce construction costs for AMP
COLUMBUS -- "An amendment in House Bill
15, the state worker’s compensation budget, could significantly reduce
construction costs for the proposed American Municipal Power-Ohio
Generating Station... [Ohio Senator Jimmy] Stewart explained that if
AMP-Ohio’s request is approved by the BWC, the organization could save
$20-25 million on construction costs, which will be directly passed on to
the municipal electric systems participating in the project. He added that
quick approval of the amendment in HB 15 is critical to provide time for
the BWC to perform a review of AMP-Ohio’s financial and administrative
capabilities before they break ground later this year or early next year,"
Beth Sergent, Pomeroy Daily Sentinel.
Older AMP-Ohio news January - June 2009, 2008, 2007
For more information:
Meigs County: The worst place in Ohio to
build another coal plant
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.
5,692 ratepayers in AMP-Ohio communities have
signed petitions opposing the plant.
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.
Older AMP-Ohio news
Jan-Jun 2009
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
Jan-Jun 2009
2008
2007