Concerned West Virginians speak out against proposed Monongalia County power plant – WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Concerned citizens, coal miners, and political candidates made a unified stand against a proposed gas-fired power plant in Monongalia County.

32 people spoke during the state Public Service Commission public comment session Wednesday night in Charleston. Every single one opposed the plant.

The PSC is reviewing a proposal from Mon Power and Potomac Edison for a combined cycle gas plant at the Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville. There would be three solar arrays as part of the investment as well, one each in Tucker, Preston, and Hancock counties.

The plant would generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity and construction would cost around $2.48 billion. The solar arrays warrant an estimated $182 million cost for installation.

To foot the bill on the investment, Mon Power has proposed an initial surcharge to customers of .9 percent or $1.18 per month.

One speaker, Britta Aguirre, said she had to choose a few months ago between paying her phone or electric bill. She said this struggle is not unique to herself in West Virginia; many residents have lived that experience.

She wondered what’s going to happen going forward as bills continue to rise.

“Can you really call yourself free when you’re working full time, three jobs, and you still can’t pay your electric bills?” Aguirre asked. “Come on. When you have to choose between groceries and your medicines, when your power bills go up and we don’t consent, and y’all (the PSC) still don’t listen. That’s not freedom. That’s survival.”

Nine coal miners, who are also members of the United Mines Workers of America (UMWA), addressed PSC Chairwoman Charlotte Lane during the meeting. They expressed concern over what would become of the coal industry with this investment.

Former UMWA Research Director and coal miner Michael Buckner said there have been mixed messages from Mon Power/First Energy when discussing the Fort Martin property. Buckner said while there have been claims that they won’t replace the existing coal-fired plants, there have been statements suggesting to the contrary.

“The CEO of First Energy, Brian Tierney, was quoted in the press last month saying, “I could see us adding between one and four combined cycles of about 1,000 megawatts each that could ultimately replace Fort Martin and Harrison,”” Buckner said.

Buckner said the coal industry is a critical piece of West Virginia economy, not just providing jobs in the mines. He said there’s a ripple effect with each coal mining job, as he said every single one creates five additional jobs in the community.

Mike Knight, a fourth-generation coal miner and local union president at the Ohio County Mine, said if the PSC approves the Mon Power request, the coal industry will be devastated in the Fort Martin area.

“The new gas plant will replace the coal-fired power plant at Fort Martin, wiping out high-paying coal jobs and pushing more coal companies towards bankruptcy,” Knight said. “When those companies collapse, so do the retirement benefits earned through decades of hard work, and dangerous work.”

Raleigh County native Courtney Vandall said her grandfather and great-grandfather were coal miners. She said her great-grandfather was killed in the mines. Vandall blasted the proposed plant, saying it’s the latest example of West Virginians getting exploited for national gain.

“This isn’t for West Virginians,” Vandall said. “That’s nonsense to pretend like that this is for West Virginians. This is for the companies. This is for the corporation. This is for a CEO that makes over $13 million, and I bet he’s never had to worry about how he’s going to pay his power bill.”

Longtime West Virginia House of Delegates member Barbara Evans-Fleischauer spoke at the meeting. Her main point was that there’s no demand in the Mountain State for this type of investment.

“West Virginia residential consumers did not ask for or demand AI (artificial intelligence),” Evans-Fleischauer said. “We resent being forced into becoming cash cows for giant multinational corporations for something we may not ever want or need.”

Paige Reiring, the Mountain Party’s 79th District candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates, said this investment is not about helping West Virginians at all. She said it’s all about fueling data centers. For people in the state who already struggle to pay their bills, Reiring said this will continue to be devastating.

“Now we are being asked to bear even more financial burden for a project that will continue to pollute our state, poison our bodies, and leave us on the hook for every cost,” Reiring said. “You can’t enhance the economy unless people actually have money to spend.”

Energy Efficient West Virginia Legal and Policy Director Emmett Pepper attended the meeting. He discussed the proposal on MetroNews “Midday” on Tuesday and said the power plant seems to be for two data centers.

“If those companies want to build their own power plant, they’re free to, and actually, First Energy, the parent company, would be free to build a power plant for those two companies if they wish, but it wouldn’t have to be paid for by a ratepayer,” Pepper said. “But that’s not what they’re asking for. They’re asking for guarantees, money starting to flow immediately, even if it’s never used.”

Another speaker, Michael Attfield, said there’s no guarantee that the power plant will remain successful going forward. He said increased costs to electric bills are tough to take when they’re based on projections.

“The power plant proposal depends on assumptions about future electricity demand, future fuel prices, future construction costs, future market conditions, and what resources will be available years from now,” Attfield said. “If those assumptions are wrong, customers will still have big electricity bills to pay.”

Jim Kotcon, chairman of the citizen advisory group Morgantown Municipal Green Team, sounded the alarm on environmental impacts of the plant. He said it would be a mistake to continue down this path.

“The bottom line is that climate change is real. Mon Power knows that climate change is real,” Kotcon said. “If Mon Power executives and their shareholders had to share the risk for a fossil fuel plant, they would make better decisions.”

The PSC has scheduled evidentiary hearings on the matter to begin Thursday morning. The hearings start at 9:30 a.m. in downtown Charleston and will continue into Friday.