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Sierra Club Hails TVA's Retirement of Allen Coal Plant in Memphis(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 21 -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release: Sierra Club praised a vote by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors today that will retire the 55-year old Allen Coal Plant in Memphis. The 990 megawatt coal plant is Shelby County's largest polluter, emitting thousands of tons of pollutants into the air and contributing to air quality concerns across the region. With today's vote, Allen became the 178th Coal plant to announce retirement since 2010. "Retiring the outdated, dirty Allen Coal Plant is great news for Memphians, who have long struggled with asthma-causing poor air quality and threats to local water ways," said Scott Banbury, Conservation Program Coordinator for the Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club. "TVA, which is one of the nation's largest utilities, sees that coal is becoming an increasingly bad bet. Clean energy technologies, like solar energy and wind power, as well as increased energy efficiency, are cheaper, cleaner and ultimately a better path forward for TVA and for Tennesseans." "As TVA transitions from coal, it must consider the workers and communities who have depended on this plant in the past, and make sure their livelihoods are protected," said Rita Harris, Organizer for the Beyond Coal Campaign in Memphis. "TVA has a track record of taking these issues seriously, and should continue to provide a responsible transition for affected workers and communities." TVA is now mapping out its next Integrated Resource Plan (IRP); the utilities' energy portfolio for the next 20 years. As TVA works to protect public health and decrease energy costs by moving away from coal, the utility has an opportunity to speed the deployment of the most promising and cost-effective renewable technologies, especially wind power and solar energy, in its plan. "TVA can be a leader in job creation and clean energy development with a strong decision in their planning process," said Jonathan Levenshus, Representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign in Tennessee. "TVA can take the initiative and make good on the promise of renewable energy and energy efficiency, locking in low-cost electricity for decades and bringing more economic development to the region." In response to TVA's decision to construct a 1000MW combined-cycle gas plant to replace Allen, Banbury added, "We can save money, decrease pollution and ensure that the proposed gas plant is used sparingly with strategic investment in key renewable resources, like wind, solar and energy efficiency. These twenty first century solutions to our energy needs will save consumers money while creating good paying jobs right here in Tennessee." The retirement of the Allen Coal Plant comes as a result of an historic settlement reached in 2011 between TVA, the Environmental Protection Agency, four states (Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee), and several public interest groups, including the Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, and Our Children's Earth Foundation, to end the region's reliance on coal and move the Valley towards cleaner, safer energy sources. That settlement required the retirement of over 2,700 megawatts of coal-fired generation, while also creating space for the installation of pollution controls or the retirement of other coal units, including Allen, by 2018. In November 2013, TVA's Board also approved the retirement of an additional 3,308 megawatts of coal-fired power. TNS 24HariRad-140822-30FurigayJane-4835464 30FurigayJane (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |