Panel needed
Well, they say that two heads are better than one, and, in this instance, two bills in the state Legislature could be better than one.
State Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, introduced a bill Monday to create a commission to review plans to deactivate coal-fired power plants.
It’s very similar to a bill introduced in February by state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson.
Neither bill might be able to to save the jobs of former employees at FirstEnergy’s Hatfield Ferry Power Station in Greene County and the Mitchell Power Station in Washington County, but they could help workers at similar plants in Pennsylvania and also aid consumers being forced to conserve energy because of such arbitrary decisions.
FirstEnergy announced it was shutting down the plants last fall, putting 380 people out of work. It stunned not only the workers but officials in both counties, who never saw the move coming.
After the announcement, questions were raised about how the shutdowns would affect FirstEnergy’s ability to provide power to all its customers.
The issue was investigated by PJM Interconnection, which operates the power grid in Pennsylvania and 12 other states. It concluded that the shutdowns wouldn’t hurt the system.
However, the frigid weather this past winter prompted PJM to ask customers twice to conserve energy by setting thermostats lower than usual and postponing the use of major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers until after 9 p.m.
The request raised serious questions about what could have happened if the frigid weather had been worse or had continued longer.
According to Solobay, the problem apparently was caused by difficulty supplying natural-gas power plants during the extreme cold weather, a possibility never mentioned during testimony by officials of grid operator PJM Interconnection at hearings in Greene County in the fall.
It all begs the questions of what analysis was conducted by PJM after FirstEnergy shut down the plants, and whether the agency can be expected to make such decisions in a fair and impartial manner?
The problem is PJM’s accountability. For whatever reason, PJM doesn’t answer to the Pennsylvania Utility Commission. It’s supposedly governed by an independent board, but the concern is the board is more worried about the profits of the companies who are part of the grid than the welfare of consumers who use the grid.
Both bills, sponsored by Solobay and Snyder, would establish a Coal-Fired Electric Generation Deactivation Commission, which would be charged with reviewing and investigating the potentially adverse impacts that plant closures have on the economy, electric reliability and the environment.
Solobay noted that no federal or state agency is responsible for considering the big picture when it comes to power plants, with every regulatory group having a limited scope. The deactivation commission would take a wider view of future power needs to include the economy and the environment, he said.
The hope is that other legislators will sign on to the bills and that enough support is garnered so that either one will eventually become law. Legislators across the state have to realize that utility workers in their communities could lose their jobs suddenly without any warning.
Legislators also have to realize that as consumers we all have a vital stake making sure that utilities have enough power to serve our needs.
In the end it’s paramount that all factors are considered before other power plants in the commonwealth are allowed to be closed.