Lawmakers discuss plant closings at meeting
State Sens. Timothy Solobay, Richard Kasunic and state Rep. Pam Snyder met in Harrisburg Friday with high-ranking state officials about the proposed closure of the Hatfield Ferry and Mitchell Power Stations in Greene and Washington counties respectively.
“It is critical that state and federal officials from regulatory agencies understand the full impact of the closure of these facilities on the economy of Southwestern Pennsylvania,” Solobay (D-Canonsburg) said. “This is not only about the 380 jobs at the plants but also the thousands of other jobs that are indirectly impacted by FirstEnergy’s decision to shutter the facilities.”
The meeting was convened by officials at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission at the lawmakers’ request. Others attendees included representatives from the regional electric transmission operator, PJM Interconnection, as well as from the governor’s office, the Office of the state Consumer Advocate and the Department of Environmental Protection secretary.
Solobay, Kasunic and Snyder have all been aggressive in pursuing available economic or regulatory options to keep the plants in operation. They have set up a series of meetings with regulators and sent letters to state and federal officials to examine plant closure alternatives.
Kasunic said that beyond the devastating job impacts there is also a “significant concern about the cost and reliability of the electric grid if these two facilities are taken off-line.
“These two facilities produce significant amounts of electricity and their potential closure may result in increased consumer costs and an inability to respond adequately if there is a spike in demand or a natural emergency.”
Snyder (D-Jefferson) said the meeting was useful because it allowed lawmakers to voice their strong opposition to closing the facilities while providing a platform for further discussions with federal regulators.
“The meeting allowed us to describe to officials how we believe the plant closures will be devastating locally, and it will set the stage for additional meetings in the future with federal officials,” Snyder said. “We expressed our views to state officials in hopes that a united state response will help leverage a positive result from either FirstEnergy or federal regulators.”
The lawmakers said the next meeting they are planning is with representatives from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Department of Energy, and they hope to include members of the congressional delegation.
According to the legislators, the focus of today’s meeting at the PUC was the electric grid reliability if the plants are shut down; continuing discussions with FirstEnergy and federal regulatory agencies; future public hearings about the impact of the closure; and, the direct and indirect job loss that would occur if FirstEnergy follows through on the proposed closure.
“The federal Department of Energy, FERC and the EPA are keys to the continued discussions of the viability of the plants and we look forward to meeting soon with officials from these agencies,” Solobay said.
All the lawmakers said they were pleased that the PUC acted swiftly in putting the meeting together and representatives from the governor’s office were involved in the discussion.
“The PUC has been an active partner in exploring options that may be available to keep the facility open,” Kasunic said. “They will be instrumental in finding a solution, if one is available.”
Snyder said that all must recognize that the closure of the plants will reverberate throughout the community.
“We have driven home the point that coal’s unique advantages are the reason it still powers much of America’s power grid,” Snyder said. “Coal is the go-to fuel during heat waves and cold snaps when demand exceeds the pre-arranged supplies of other fuels, which cannot be stored so readily.
“My colleagues and I are fully cognizant of the importance of these coal-powered plants to southwestern Pennsylvania.”