On March 22, at 7 a.m., Shawn Steffee stood on the hill overlooking the production station in Homer City, with his family and the community he grew up with. [emphasis, links added]
They saw the largest coal-fired power plant in Pennsylvania for the last time—he and his father, uncle, brother and the union he led have worked for decades.
Steffee, local business manager for boiler maker No. 154, announced two years ago that his workforce is one of several of the plant's plants, told Washington examiners that the effect of the closure of the plant would have a devastating impact not only on his union, but on the community he grew up in.
“It’s not just a job loss; it’s a big tax loss from the school district where I grew up, and now it’s going to go away.” Steffy said.
Then, by the morning of March 22, the tallest chimney in the United States had disappeared.
The sound of falling from the chimney of Unit 3 is very thunderous. Images are indoctrinating. Remind people in the community and anyone who recognizes that the 1,217-foot chimney is part of the local skyline for decades, and their era is over.
Steffy said it wasn't easy to watch it fall. “But I have to see it there,” he said flatly.
The tower has been standing there since 1977 and has been standing there since 1969.
The coal-fired power plant is a victim of politics, competition and environmental regulations, and its gate posts seem to change every day. As these three put huge pressure on the coal industry, operations and profitability became untenable.
When it fully operates, the 1,900 MW plant can exceed 2 million homes and buildings.
There are rumors that natural gas power generation facilities at artificial intelligence data processing plants are underway. If everything is over, it will be the largest gas power plant in the United States, but no one has confirmed it yet.
Pennsylvania Senator Joe Pittman hinted this in a statement, saying that while it is sad to see such an important part of history fade into history books, “we have the opportunity to redevelop the site with economic opportunities while reshaping our future.
“We have a unique opportunity to see the site clean up and rebuild billions of dollars in private sector investment,” Pittman continued. “These dollars, along with the work related to the rebuilding and operating future economic forces of our communities, provide hope for a new and vibrant future for communities, school districts, counties and territories.”
Steffy said he was hopeful, too. But he put everything else close to the vest.
In fact, both the Labor Party and the community have their hopes that are being dashed.
Daniel Turner, executive director of Power the Future, said Homer City's death means the enormous power capacity will disappear forever. He believes that the people of Pennsylvania will only get worse because of this: “There is nothing to replace this, not wind, not solar, and the green activist responsible for such a horrible decision will continue to move to the next victim.”
Not long ago, Pennsylvania had 60 coal-fired power units. As of today, there are only 15 left.
Turner said shutting down responsible coal while turning a blind eye to China is purely non-American insanity, which makes China build a coal-fired power plant every week.
“It’s the equivalent of putting your dog on a treadmill and claiming to be healthy due to the machine’s reading.”
Turner said that “green” was never content with the closure of the plants. They must be destroyed.
H/T Steve B.
Reading break in Patriot Post
