Southern Company Closes 100-Year-Old Alabama Coal Plant; PSC Whines About Obama, Liberals

[hatrack]

Operators of a century-old coal plant in Alabama say Obama-era environmental rules are behind their decision to close the facility, which first started churning out electricity in 1917. The announcement is already fueling debate about the role of environmental rules in dampening the coal sector — despite President Trump's pushback — versus an expected transformation to cleaner fuels throughout the nation's power fleet.

Alabama Power Co. yesterday announced the last three coal stacks at Plant Gorgas will close April 15. The power plant — located in Parrish, Ala. — used to be known as the Warrior Reserve Steam Plant.

The utility said it would have cost $300 million to upgrade the aging plant to meet standards for coal ash disposal and steam plant discharges, among others. That would include installing dry ash handling and new wastewater treatment procedures at the plant, a spokesman said.

Alabama Power is also concerned more regulations are on the way. "Federally driven environmental mandates related to coal, and the costs to comply with those mandates, are changing the way Alabama Power provides electricity to customers," the company said in a release. And yet cheap natural gas, the falling cost of renewables and another directive from Alabama Power's parent company also are shaping coal's dimming future in the Yellowhammer State. The utility is owned by Atlanta-based Southern Co., which has been touting a goal to transition fully to a low- to no-carbon fleet by 2050.

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https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060121689

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Alabama Power spokesman Michael Sznajderman said that approximately 180 people are currently employed at Plant Gorgas, and that no layoffs are expected. He said some workers will continue on at the site “indefinitely” beyond the closure period and that the activities to close the coal ash pond at Gorgas will take “several years.” Sznajderman said other employees will have opportunities at other Alabama Power facilities, and some longtime employees may elect to retire.

The Alabama Public Service Commission, the state government body charged with regulating Alabama Power and other utilities in the state, issued a statement blaming the closure on former President Barack Obama specifically, and liberals generally.

“The company has taken every possible step to keep the plant up and running, but the war on coal finally took its toll,” PSC President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh said in the news release. “Obama said he wanted to make it too expensive to run coal-fired plants, and he did. I commend President Trump for rolling back as many of the Obama mandates as he could. The problem for us here in Alabama was that Obama placed the biggest bullseye on us, and Trump’s valiant effort at finally implementing common sense came along a little too late.”

“Obama’s negligence and disregard for Alabama families and their jobs is one of the many destructive outcomes of his presidency,” Commissioner Chip Beeker said. “The liberals who helped drive Obama’s agenda continue to put Alabama’s economy at risk. Our task moving forward is to keep the ones affected by this and their families in our hearts and in our prayers.”

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https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/02/alabama-power-to-shutter-coal-plant-cites-environmental-laws.html

[underpants]

1. Maybe they can form a support group with the whale oil industry

Al Abama

[magicarpet]

2. Buggy whips and dinosaur booties are making a come back too....

[MyOwnPeace]

3. I guess

"Twinkle" will be invited to be a guest speaker at the next local KKK meeting............

[eppur_se_muova]

4. *sob* Oh, the humanity ! nt

[erpowers]

5. Excuses, Excuses

I understand that policy decisions may have contributed to coal being more expansive than natural gas; however, if coal were still in high demand these companies would probably be able to make profits in spite of the costs of the new regulations. It seems to real problem for coal supporters is that people are just moving away from the product.

I was listening to the radio and I heard it said that in order for coal to be profitable again we would have to get rid of all regulations and close the EPA and The Department of Energy. Do we really want to live in a world where their are no environmental regulations to keep people safe?

It seems that some people are just blaming President Obama and regulations in order to not deal with the idea that coal is no longer as popular as some other forms of energy. Donald Trump said he could stop the closing of coal mines. He came into office and ended a number of regulations and these coal mines are still closing. That seems to mean that coal is just not as popular as some other forms of energy.

[Canoe52]

6. Unfortunately you can't regulate stupidity.