2009.07.09 Press Release
100 Proposed Coal Plants Defeated, 4 in Ohio
Contact: Nachy Kanfer, 614-625-3894
Movement sparks nationwide shift to cleaner energy; challenges remain
Columbus, OH: As of today, 100 coal plants have been defeated or abandoned nationwide since the beginning of the 'coal rush' several years ago, including a coal gasification proposal in Lima, Ohio. In their place, a smart mix of clean energy solutions like energy efficiency, wind, solar and geothermal has stepped up to meet America's energy needs. Last year, 42 percent of all new power-producing capacity came from wind, and for the first time the wind industry created more jobs than mining coal.
Coming just a week after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the city would end coal use entirely by 2020, the Intermountain Power coal plant in Utah on Wednesday became the 100th prevented coal plant. The same day, Basin Electric Power pulled its plans to build a coal plant in South Dakota. But even as clean energy moved forward in Utah and South Dakota, Ohio's clean energy future remains threatened: despite widespread opposition, the AMP-Ohio electric cooperative has not yet abandoned its plans to build a dirty coal plant in southeast Ohio.
"The shift has clearly started toward a cleaner, healthier, more secure future," said Nachy Kanfer with Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign in Ohio. "Basin Electric is the latest in a growing list of electric cooperatives throughout the Midwest that are moving beyond coal and searching out better energy options. It's time for AMP-Ohio to follow suit and stop making excuses about how clean energy doesn't exist yet. Actually, everyone's already doing it except for us."
For the past six years, Sierra Club and its allies have been running a hard-hitting campaign to expose the dirty truth about coal. Tremendous grassroots pressure, rising costs, and upcoming federal carbon regulations all contributed to the demise of the 100 plants. In Ohio, hundreds of volunteers have attended public hearings and communicated with officials to push for cleaner alternatives to the AMP-Ohio coal plant. The facility has not been able to begin construction and has suffered drastic cost increases.
Proposed for Meigs County, the AMP plant would emit large amounts of soot, smog and mercury into a region already ranking first in the state for lung and bronchus cancer. Meigs County also has the lowest life expectancy for men in Ohio. In addition to harming health, the AMP-Ohio plant would crowd out the creation of clean energy jobs in Ohio that could secure our energy future.
"The widespread opposition to the dirty coal plant here in Ohio is just one part of a growing nationwide movement," said Kanfer. "It's clear that the American people are ready for a switch to the clean energy technologies that can help repower our economy."
That movement has kept well over 400 million tons of harmful global warming pollution out of the air annually, making significant progress in the fight against global warming. Stopping 100 new coal plants has also kept thousands of tons of asthma-causing soot and smog pollution, and neurological toxins like mercury, out of our air and water. But the fight has not yet been won.
"The coal industry is still pushing forward with plans for dozens of new plants like the AMP-Ohio plant and pouring millions into slick advertising campaigns and lobbying efforts," said Kanfer. "So while the coal rush may be entering a new phase in some parts of the country, it is far from over."
For more, visit www.sierraclub.org/100coalplants.
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Contact: Nachy Kanfer, 614-625-3894