WASHINGTON -- The president of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers warns that FirstEnergy Corp.'s decision to shut down six coal-fired power plants due to stricter emission-control rules "should be viewed as the tip of the iceberg" and is calling on Congress to enact legislation to extend the deadlines involved. FirstEnergy announced last week that it would close six coal-fired plant later this year rather than upgrade the plants to comply with new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS, and other environmental regulations. The six plants to be closed include four in Ohio: Bay Shore Plant, Units 2-4, Oregon; Eastlake Plant, Eastlake; Ashtabula Plant, Ashtabula; and Lake Shore Plant, Cleveland
"The projected loss of 529 jobs and 2,689 megawatts of capacity may be seen as tolerable by those who support the rapid implementation of the EPA rules. As we have consistently argued, this is most likely only the opening round of a series of similar announcements by other companies that will have serious negative consequences on jobs, the reliability of the grid and the cost of electricity in several highly populated parts of the nation," said Edwin D. Hill, IBEW president.
The IBEW, he continued, doesn’t oppose the transition away from heavy reliance on coal-fired plants, and he noted four of the six plants to be closed by FirstEnergy were already on a list of older facilities to be taken out of service.
"What is ominous about First Energy’s announced plan is that two of the plants on the list were not previously scheduled for closure. One of these plants has a newer generator that, given enough time, could be retrofitted with equipment to enable it to meet the EPA’s emission standards," Hill added. "Under the current timetable, however, that option is closed. More time would also allow the other power plants to continue operation to provide electricity while such upgrades were being done." The union "and others strongly support" Senate Bill 1833, legislation introduced by U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Dan Coats, R-Ind., that would align the deadlines for implementation of EPA rules and extend them for five years. "This would provide needed predictability to industries and communities and allow for the installation of technology that would keep many plants in service as well as provide time for bringing new facilities online," Hill said. "It is past time for Congress to get past gridlock and partisan concerns and enact Manchin-Coats for the good of our country. The alternative, we fear, is a repetition of First Energy’s actions several times over, with serious consequences for us all," he said.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.