AMP-Ohio contract deadline heats up Council energy talks

By Diane Chiddister

Monday night’s Village Council meeting included a tense discussion regarding potential energy sources for Yellow Springs and how long, exactly, Council has to decide whether to commit to a proposed AMP-Ohio coal-fired power plant.

AMP-Ohio, a cooperative which supplies much of the Village’s power, has requested that Yellow Springs, among many other communities, commit to a 50-year fixed contract to help fund a coal-fired power plant to be constructed along the Ohio River in Meigs County. The issue is controversial because, while AMP-Ohio states that the plant will use “clean coal,” a national environmental group in a letter to Council stated that the technology planned for the plant is as yet untested, and that no coal-powered plant can be considered “clean.” Coal-fired plants are a significant source of this country’s emissions of CO2, a major factor in global warming.

Monday night was the first of two scheduled discussions on the plant. On Monday, Village Manager Eric Swansen presented information on all forms of energy options and the Village’s current needs. Next Thursday, Sept. 29, Council will discuss which options work best for Yellow Springs. According to a schedule Council approved two weeks ago, it will have a first reading of the AMP-Ohio proposal on Oct. 1 and the second reading Oct. 16. Swansen has stated that AMP-Ohio requires that a decision on the plant be made by Nov. 1.

But Council is moving much too fast on a complex and critical issue, and does not need to make the decision so soon, according to Council member Judith Hempfling Monday night. Hempfling cited a legal opinion by Village Solicitor John Chambers that the Village has until March 1 to decide whether to commit to the plant. With that deadline almost six months away, Council should take the time it needs to weigh the options, Hempfling said.

“To rush forward when we don’t need to without getting as much information as possible is a foolish way to make policy,” she said.

Local attorney Ellis Jacobs, the chair of Ohio Citizens Action who opposes the plant for environmental reasons, agreed that the March 1 date is clearly stated in the contract offered to the Village by AMP-Ohio, and that it makes no sense to hurry a critical decision.

“Global energy, and how we get energy, is an issue that is captivating the world,” Jacobs said. “Take the opportunity to do this in a way that you learn a bunch, that the community learns a bunch.”

But Council must act now because AMP-Ohio wants as many municipalities as possible to commit to the plant by Nov. 1, according to Swansen, who stated that if the Village does not commit to the plant by Nov. 1, it may lose its opportunity to do so at all and be left without adequate energy sources. However, Jacobs stated there is nothing in the contract to indicate that AMP-Ohio would punish the Village for waiting on its decision, since the contract includes a promise for the amount of energy available to Yellow Springs if the Village signs on by March 1.

The Village will need more energy after 2013 because several of its current contracts will run out by then, Swansen said, including the AMP-Ohio coal-fired Gorsuch plant, which currently provides about 30 percent of Village baseline power needs. Baseline needs are the power needs which must be met 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and therefore must come from a reliable source.

In his presentation, Swansen identified coal as a reliable and relatively inexpensive energy source, with its main drawback its role in emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. Swansen described alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydro, as less reliable and more expensive.

While some Council members expressed distaste at using coal as an energy source, they were concerned that until alternative energy sources are more reliable, the Village still needs an energy source, and coal may be a shorterm option.

“I want to go on record as being opposed to longterm coal-burning use,” said Council member Kathryn Van der Heiden, who said that she believes the Village may need to stay with the source for the foreseeable future.

But as well as being destructive to the environment, the AMP-Ohio plant may well be very expensive, according to Jacobs, who said the cost has already doubled since the plant was proposed two years ago, and many cost factors remain unknown.

“The irony would be if you invest in the plant and it’s not only a large polluter but very expensive,” he said. “I suspect that’s the likely outcome.”

In a letter to Council, the national environmental organization National Resources Defense Center urged Council to not commit to the plant.

“On behalf of NRDC’s more than 35,000 members and activists in Ohio, I urge you to reject AMP’s request or, at a minimum, to delay the decision until closer to the March 1, 2008, deadline so that the proposal and alternatives can be more fully explored,” wrote NRDC Staff Attorney Shannon Fisk. The group also volunteered to send a representative to meet with Council, but Council on Monday took no action on that offer. According to Council President Karen Wintrow Monday night, she had not yet read the letter and was not comfortable inviting the organization to speak.

Most Council members stated that they want to hear from AMP-Ohio about why that group is requesting the Nov. 1 deadline. In response to a question from Van der Heiden, Swansen said the group wants to know how many municipalities are on board so that it knows whether or not to proceed with constructing the plant.

Council decided to proceed with its schedule for discussions on the AMP-Ohio issue, although Hempfling stated she can not attend the Sept. 27 meeting and wanted to be there. While Wintrow attempted to find an alternate date convenient for all, she was unable to do so. However, she left open the possibility that Council may not have a first reading on the issue on Oct. 1.

Other Council business will be covered in next week’s News.

Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com