Nine More Dirty, Aging Coal Plants Set to Close, ...Total U.S. Retirements to 106 Plants Since 2010

[kristopher]

Nine More Dirty, Aging Coal Plants Set to Close, Bringing Total U.S. Retirements to 106 Plants Since 2010

Today was a big milestone for people who care about public health and a livable climate. Two utilities announced the planned closure of nine coal plants in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, bringing total retirements (executed and planned) since January 2010 past the 100 mark to 106.

Two plants in Chicago owned by Midwest Generation, the Fisk Plant and the Crawford Plant, had been a key target for local activist groups. These two plants have been in operation since the early 1900′s and were last updated in the late 50′s and 60′s. Along with violating “grandfathered” (i.e. lax) air quality standards and causing hundreds of emergency room visits each year, the two plants represented the largest source of local greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.

Local and national activists groups, along with the Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, put intense pressure on Midwest Generation to shut the plants down.

The second set of plant closures come from the wholesale power provider GenOn Energy, which said it will close 3,140 MW of aging plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. All of the plants are coal, except for one that is oil-fired. GenOn said new air quality regulations would make it difficult for the company to keep the plants operating.

A confluence of factors...

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/29/435012/dirty-aging-coal-plants-set-to-close/?

[mopinko]

1. damn that rahm emanuel.

[kristopher]

2. An important message is the role of local activist groups in shutting these plants down

This isn't happening by accident, and it isn't a matter of corporate economic first-choice either.

If you have a coal plant in your area - find or start a group to put pressure on them to deal with emissions.

[mopinko]

4. ++++

[jpak]

3. Good - shut 'em down

yup