American Electric Power agrees to close 3 coal plants in emissions lawsuit

[Kolesar]

Updating an earlier 2007 settlement, American Electric Power will stop burning coal by 2015 at three power plants in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky and replace a portion of that supply with new wind and solar investments in Indiana and Michigan. The company will spend $5 billion to install pollution controls on plants in its aging, coal-fired fleet in the Eastern United States and cut its annual sulfur dioxide emissions over the next 12 years from 828,000 tons to 174,000 tons.
...
According to the Clean Air Task Force, an advocacy group, closing the Tanners Creek Generating Station Unit 4 in Indiana, the Muskingum River Power Plant Unit 5 in Ohio and the Big Sandy Power Plant Unit 2 in Kentucky will prevent 203 deaths, 310 heart attacks, 3,160 asthma attacks and 188 emergency room visits annually once they stop burning coal.
...
Sierra Club attorney Bruce Nilles, who helped negotiate the agreement, said in an interview that the result showed how a combination of market forces and environmental activism had weakened the hand of the coal industry in the United States. But he added that in the face of rising carbon emissions worldwide, environmentalists could not declare total victory.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/aep-agrees-to-close-3-coal-plants-in-emissions-lawsuit/2013/02/25/a11f1a96-7f5d-11e2-b99e-6baf4ebe42df_story.html

Clean Air Task Force:
http://www.catf.us/about/

[RobertEarl]

1. Progress, it's good to see.

For 30 years we've been telling coal burners there are better ways. Some listened, showed they care, and altered operations. Another finally gets smart.

And via Democratic Party policies, alternatives are finally getting government support.

[discharge]

2. what happens

To all the people that work in these facilities? Not to mention all the Pipefitters, Boilermakers, Laborers, Carpenters, Electricians, Insulators and Ironworkers that maintain them?

[Kolesar]

3. AEP was running these old plants until somebody forced them to upgrade or close them

AEP had not been updating the plants and would have closed them in another few years even if there was not a clean air lawsuit against them. AEP had received permissive treatment during the bush administration and were not really in compliance with the Clean Air Act. The lawsuit called them on it.

These plants are at facilities where there are multiple generating units. Notice that they are numbered: 5, 4, and 2. The other boilers and turbines will remain running so there will be employment.

I think the public should create a new pension fund and retire the coal miners and generating plant workers. Everybody would be happy.