Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Sunday, December 16, 2007
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
At least one AMP-Ohio member city — Westerville, Ohio — has declined to participate in building new power plant projects.
AMP-Ohio is proposing that its member cities — including Martnsville — invest in building three power plant projects in the Midwest, run the plants and use the electricity they produce, according to Martinsville officials. Martinsville City Council is weighing the investment, and will hold a public hearing on it at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Municipal Building.
In early November, the Westerville City Council voted 5-1 not to participate because most council members thought 50 was “a very intimidating” number of years for a commitment, said Andy Boatright, manager of the Westerville Electric Division. He said the council had studied the issue since March.
Council members also were uncertain, Boatright said, about how the power plants would affect the environment and how any future environmental laws that might be enacted would affect Westerville’s participation in the plants.
The Sierra Club, an environmental protection group, says on its Web site that coal-fired power plants are “a major source of air pollution,” emitting hazards such as sulfur dioxide, mercury and nitrogen oxides.
In addition, more than 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, which play a major role in global warming, are attributable to power plants, the club says.
“There is an environmental impact to any (power) generation you have,” responded Carson.
Most environmental problems caused by coal-fired plants are caused by “older, dirtier plants,” he said. He added that the new plants would have the latest technology designed “to make emissions as clean as possible.”
Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, is a city of about 35,000 people. One of its seven council members, an American Electric Power executive, “abstained from the whole process” of considering the power plants, including the vote, Boatright said.
Only two city residents voiced to the council their opposition to Westerville participating in the plants, but nobody spoke in favor of taking part, he said.
He said the council’s decision not to participate did not seem to hurt the city’s relationship with AMP-Ohio.
Kent Carson, AMP-Ohio’s director of communications, said most AMP-Ohio members have committed to the projects. Most that have agreed to it are in Ohio while most that have not yet committed are outside that state, he pointed out.
Friday, he said he did not immediately have access to contact information for any city that has committed to the projects. |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
