Today, Wednesday, January 16, I testified at the Cleveland City Council Public Utilities Committee's PURPA meeting.  About 16 people testified today asking the Cleveland City Council Public Utilities Committee to cancel, or at the very least, delay their vote concerning whether or not to allow Cleveland Public Power (CPP) to sign a 50 year contract to buy power from the American Municipal Power of Ohio's (AMP-OH) proposed 1,000-megawatt conventional pulverized coal powered plant to be located in Letart Falls in Meigs County Ohio.  The deadline for Council to decide is March 1, 2008.  The next time for the public to comment in front of Council is set for Friday, February 22.  The meeting today started at 1:30 p.m. and ended at 6:30 p.m.  A much longer meeting then anyone expected.  I wish I had the time to give all the details, because it was an extremely interesting meeting and I learned a lot.  It is important to note that though the AMP-OH issue was at the forefront of everyones mind, the just as important issue concerning CPP's Advanced Energy Portfolio was discussed at length.

After my testimony, I invited all the members of the Cleveland City Council Public Utilities Committee (Matt Zone, Zachary Reed, Phyllis Cleveland, Brian Cummins, Martin Keane, Kevin Kelley, Michael Polensek, Joe Santiago and Jay Westbrook), the Acting Director of the Department of Public Utilities Barry Withers, CPP Commissioner Ivan Henderson, Program Director for the Sustainability Program at the Department of Public Utilities Andrew Watterson, Energy Manger for the Sustainability Program at the Department of Public Utilities Bill Eger and everyone else who was in attendance at the meeting to the Midtown Brews event February 7 at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  I will be adding a few new speaker to the flyer for the February event early next week.

Below is the testimony and map I presented and submitted today.  If anyone is interested in these issues and want to join our weekly meeting on these topics, please give me a call at 216-387-0619 or email me at spear@earthwatchohio.org.  There is a lot of work to be done before the next public hearing on February 22.

 

January 16, 2008

CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL
Public Utilities Committee
601 LAKESIDE AVENUE, ROOM 220
CLEVELAND, OH 44114

Dear Public Utilities Committee,

Thank you for holding this hearing today.  I appreciate your time and consideration on what I consider one of the most important issues and decisions impacting our city and state.

I am Stefanie Spear, founder and executive director of EarthWatch Ohio.  I am here today as an environmentalist, concerned citizen and CPP customer.  My husband and I are property and business owners in Councilman’s Polensek’s Ward.

I am extremely concerned with CPP’s pending contract to purchase energy for 50 years from the proposed AMP-OH, 1,000-megawatt conventional pulverized coal powered plant.

I believe that everyone in this room today wants the same thing for CPP.  We all want CPP to be able to provide
electricity at a competitive or reduced rate with energy that is generated in the most economical and environmentally-friendly way.  I believe the role of CPP is critical in building a sustainable Northeast Ohio region.

I encourage council to reconsider their vote and cancel, or at the very least, postpone the contract with AMP-OH.

I have concerns about the pending contract for the following reasons:
1.  The proposed AMP-OH plant, according to its own permit application dated August 9, 2007, would emit 7.3 million tons of carbon annually.  Carbon-constraining legislation, either through a carbon tax or nationwide cap, is inevitable in the coming years.  Even though AMP-OH says it intends to use Powerspan, there is no mention of this technology in AMP’s permit application or Ohio EPA’s draft permit.  I also question whether the implementation of Powerspan’s ECO2 is a viable option or the best technology choice.

2.  Coal is not “cheap.”  When you factor in the true costs of coal including the impact coal extraction has on the environment, the impact the emissions from coal plants has on human health, the impact on communities from where coal powered plants are located, the impact on the environment and surrounding communities from unreclaimed mine sites, and the anticipated national green house gas (GHG) legislation, it becomes very clear that coal is not cheap.

The mining of coal poses substantial safety risks to miners, destroys natural habitats, pollutes rivers and streams, and releases substantial amounts of methane, which contributes to global warming. One especially destructive form of mining is mountaintop removal, which involves blowing off the tops of mountains and dumping the resulting waste in adjacent river valleys.

The proposed site for the coal plant is in Letart Falls, in Meigs County which is an area in southeast Ohio that already has a high concentration of coal-fired power plants and other major polluting sources.  There are four coal-fired power plants within approximately 10 miles of Letart Falls, and there are numerous other major sources of air pollution in or near Meigs County.  If you look at the map on the back of my testimony, you can see the high concentration of coal-fired power plants around the proposed AMP-OH GS plant.  In 2004, the Gavin plant, a bit to the west of the proposed AMP-OH site, ranked in the top 50 nationwide coal-fired power plants for sulfur dioxide emissions and in 2002 the Kyger plant, just south of the Gavin plant, was in the top 50 for mercury emissions.  Of the 18 coal-fired power plants along the Ohio River, seven are among the nation’s 50 dirtiest for sulfur dioxide or mercuy emissions.  The residents of Letart Falls and Meigs County should not be subjected to another major source of air pollution.

3.  The investment in new coal plants -- gasification or conventional -- is draining the financial resources and investments in the renewable energy industry.

4.  Proposed gasification and conventional coal plants are dying on the drawing board. Over the past two years, 15 coal plants in Florida and 10 coal plants in Texas have been cancelled.  The chances that the AMP-OH plant will ever be built, diminishes with every passing day.

5.  The cost of the proposed AMP-OH plant continues to increase - Two years ago AMP-OH stated this plant would cost municipalities across Ohio $1.2 billion, then the figure was $1.5 billion, then it jumped to $2.5 billion and now stands at $2.9 billion.  And, there has been a lot of opposition to this plant and it is very likely that permitting of this plant will get tied up in lawsuits from environmental groups which would significantly delay the building of this coal plant and add to its price tag.

I support the following alternatives to the AMP-OH plant:
Since most of the electricity supplied by CPP to its customers is generated by other entities, CPP is essentially a distribution utility, operating and maintaining a set of distribution infrastructures and managing its 80,000 customer accounts.  Most of the power currently purchased by CPP is fueled by coal, and most of this generation capacity is physically located outside of the immediate Cleveland area and supplied to CPP via the MISO (Midwest Independent System Operator) grid.

I support a shift in the current structure of CPP that echos the vision promoted by CPP which is to improve and grow the system through “Green Power” as well as other eco-friendly methods.  I am in favor of CPP implementing an advanced energy portfolio standard that will mandate increasing portions of CPP’s energy supply to come from qualifying sources with lower emissions impact.  This portfolio is an important part of the solution to the financial, economic and environmental problems facing our region.  I believe that our region, with the leadership of CPP, can become the national and even global hub of technology & business expertise in renewable energy.

I support an advanced energy portfolio that includes:
1.  Energy Efficiency - CPP should help its customers minimize their expenditure on electricity.  Customers should be educated on how they can change their behaviors to reduce unnecessary electricity consumption.  CPP should consider Smart Metering as a means to lower base-load needs.  Energy efficiency programs are the most important tool available in responding to carbon emissions and the fastest way to slow the growth of coal dependency.
2.  Development of Wind Power - The U.S. Department of Energy’s newly approved wind maps of Ohio reveal that by harnessing only a portion of our state’s wind resources, Ohio can generate at least 10-20 percent of our electricity.  Ohio has the infrastructure to be a leading manufacturer of renewable energy technologies.  Investing in the development of Ohio’s own homegrown wind energy would create manufacturing jobs, grow local businesses and attract new businesses to the state.

3.  Development of Solar Power - With strong state and local government incentives to help drive implementation of solar technologies and changes in pubic policy, solar power can play an important role in CPP’s energy portfolio.

4.  Geothermal Energy - Underground steam is another natural form of green energy.  Considering the size of our country, Geothermal energy is an enormous underused heat and power resource.

5.  Development of Combined Heat & Power (CHP) technologies.  CHP uses waste heat from factories and other industrial facilities to generate power.  This technology can help CPP reach its energy producing needs.

6.  Hydropower Projects - CPP should continue its current hydropower contracts and look for other existing hydropower projects to tap into.

7.  I support coal strictly as a transitional fuel.  I do not support CPP signing any long-term contracts that includes coal.  I also do not support any investment in the building of a coal plant of any kind.  All financial investments should be dedicated to creating a renewable energy future.  I encourage efficiency and conservation programs that will help reduce CPP’s base-load needs which will further reduce its dependency on coal.

I encourage council to do the following:

1. Hire an independent consultanting firm to create an economic feasibility study and an Advanced Energy Portfolio for CPP.
2. Continue to hold public hearings and encourage input from all stakeholders before voting or approving any energy policies.
3. Please reconsider this AMP-OH, 50-year contract.  I encourage council to cancel, or at the very least, delay this contract with AMP-OH.

I understand that as members of City Council you have to prioritize your work load due to the many challenges impacting our community.  With the fast approaching February 28 AMP-OH deadline, I encourage you to put energy policies and the future of CPP on top of your list.

Now is the time for serious dialogue and leadership to develop solutions to ensure an ongoing, reasonably priced, green and reliable energy supply.  I encourage CPP and Cleveland City Council to be leaders in the renewable energy industry.  Through innovation in energy and environmental policies, programs and technologies, we can enhance economic development, protect the environment and secure a sustainable future for Northeast Ohio.

Thank you for listening.

Sincerely,
Stefanie Spear
spear@earthwatchohio.org
216-387-1609