Council says no to coal-fired plant

By Diane Chiddister

At their meeting Monday, Dec. 3, members of Yellow Springs Village Council voted down an ordinance which would have committed the Village to receive part of its baseload power from a coal-fired power plant.

The ordinance would have committed the Village to a 45-year contract with AMP-Ohio for electricity supplied by the Prairie State Energy Campus coal plant. Council’s vote was 3–2; voting for the ordinance were Karen Wintrow and Kathryn Van der Heiden, with Council President Judith Hempfling, John Booth and Lori Askeland voting against. The ordinance was an emergency action since the Village needed to approve the ordinance by Dec. 14.

The Prairie State plant, located in Illinois, is currently under construction. It is the second coal plant Council has considered this fall, as part of a three-pronged package suggested by AMP-Ohio for meeting the Village’s baseload power needs beginning in 2014. The Village currently receives the bulk of its baseload power from the Gorsuch coal-fired plant, which will go offline in 2012. Council has not yet taken action on the second coal plant, in Meigs County, Ohio, and plans to schedule a special meeting on the topic in January.

In voting against the ordinance, Hempfling spoke of her vision that Yellow Springs could become a “role model for the world” of a small town that takes a strong stand to combat global warming by refusing to use energy supplied by coal-fired plants. Coal plants have been identified by environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council as the single largest source in this country of the carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming.

“It’s a challenge and an opportunity,” Hempfling said. “I think we can have a huge impact if we find our way with alternative energy and with conservation.”

In voting against the coal plant, Booth stated that, “I feel a voice from the community and a voice from my conscience telling me which way to go.”

Wintrow and Van der Heiden, who voted for the ordinance, also stated their support for alternative energy sources and conservation. But they said they believed that the Village will be forced to use coal for the foreseeable future, and that a contract with the Praire State plant would be cost effective.

“I think we ought to be smart,” Van der Heiden said. “Since we’ll be using coal anyway, we should buy from plants that have more pollution controls.”

About 20 villagers attended the meeting, and eight out of 10 speakers opposed the coal plant ordinance. Many cited the almost 50-year commitment the Village was asked to make to Prairie State as the source of their concern.

“We’re making decisions for our grandchildren,” said Dawn Johnson. “Imagine if our grandparents made decisions for us in 1957.”

Stating that “there are no easy solutions” to questions of energy use, Bob Brecha stated that, “Global warming should drive any decision on an energy issue.”

Coal plants may seem more economical now, but they will become much more expensive, according to Ellis Jacobs, who reported that last month in hearings before the Energy and Public Utilities Committee of the Ohio State Senate, Janine Migden-Ostrander, the consumer counsel for the state, said that in the future coal will be the most expensive source of electricity.

“From a price perspective, you can’t go wrong rejecting a coal power plant,” Jacobs said.

Speaking in support of the Prairie State plant, Brian Chase said that the Village could sell its shares in the coal plant in the future if alternative energy sources become more feasible.

“Why not get the cleanest power available for now?” he said.

The ordinance would have provided one megawatt of power from the Prairie State plant, which is about one fifth of the Village’s baseline power needs. The Village was being asked to sign a “take or pay” contract that would have required the Village to finance the plant’s debt service and operation regardless of its output, according to a written report from Village Manager Eric Swansen, who had recommended that Council pass the ordinance.

Council also discussed an upcoming community and Council dialogue on the AMP-Ohio GS plant, which has a March 1 deadline. That discussion, and other items of Council business from Dec. 3, will be in next week’s News.

Contact: dchiddister@ysnews.com