One of the country’s largest coal utilities will begin closing power plants next month in four states, as strict federal environmental regulations begin to kick in.
The company, American Electric Power, made the announcement in a notice advising employees at the electricity stations that it plans to close six power plants in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana, according to news reports.
The company said it plans to shutter as much as 6,000 megawatts of power plant capacity in seven states by the start of 2016. The closures were planned as far back as 2011 to comply with new pollution regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency, called the Mercury and Toxics Standard, that go into effect later this month.
The initial six power plants will close beginning May 31. The plants include the Philip Sporn, Kammer and Kanawha Valley power stations in West Virginia, the Muskingum River Plant in Ohio, the Tanners Creek Plant in Indiana and the Glen Lyn Plant in Virginia. The closures would affect 250 workers.
Coal plants are the target of several new pollution rules being implemented or proposed by the EPA.
One of these regulations includes the Clean Power Plan, which is at the center of President Obama’s climate change agenda to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the existing fleet of power plants. Many scientists say these emissions are causing the Earth’s climate to warm, resulting in extreme weather, droughts and flooding.
