Emily Pomilio, emily.pomilio@sierraclub.org, (480) 286-0401
Thomas Schuster, tom.schuster@sierraclub.org, (814) 915-4231
Johnstown, P.A.--Yesterday, operators of the Colver Power Project announced plans to close the waste coal burning plant in September of 2020 when its contract to sell electricity to Penelec expires. This will be the 268th coal plant to retire since 2010.
In response, Tom Schuster, Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club, issued the following statement:
“Burning waste coal is an especially dirty way to produce power, and as this announcement shows, it is not economical either. Those of us who live in the coalfields know that we need to do something to clean up the toxic legacy of coal refuse piles left behind by abandoned coal mines. There are better ways to do it than burning waste, which simply transforms one type of pollution into another. Colver is having trouble meeting health-based air quality standards, and we are investigating other waste coal plants in the Commonwealth that seem unable to prevent their toxic coal ash from endangering the safety of air and water.
We support other ways of dealing with abandoned mine waste, which would receive support in this region with the passage of the federal RECLAIM Act. A pilot project in nearby Ehrenfeld is employing dozens of former miners to remediate a huge coal refuse pile, without the dangerous pollution that results from burning the waste. The RECLAIM Act would redirect hundreds of millions of dollars to Pennsylvania to safely deal with coal waste, clean up our environment and boost local economies.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.