Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Power Plant Closures Would Cause Real Harm for Illusory Environmental Gains

Originally published at The Daily Signal

Visible from western Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountain ridges are coal-fired power plant— and their plumes of water vapor—that have been integral to much of the regional economy for 50 years. But maybe not for much longer.

Three plants east of Pittsburgh directly employ 550 people and support an estimated 8,100 jobs, according to Power PA Jobs Alliance, a coalition of labor and industry groups. Now, two of them—the generating stations of Conemaugh on the Indiana-Westmoreland County border and Keystone in eastern Armstrong County—are slated to close by 2028.

The owners blame costs imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s wastewater rule. The regulation is expected to lead at least 26 plants in 14 states to stop using coal, according to news reports. Another factor is Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s unilateral decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Read more at The Daily Signal