Longview can build power plant, but shouldn't get tax breaks

The December 2nd editorial by Jeffrey Keffer asks for our support for the proposed Longview II gas-fired power plant and complains about “extreme environmental organizations” opposing the project. In particular, they are asking us for multi-million dollar tax breaks to make their proposal economically competitive.

Unfortunately, Keffer and his supporters simply refuse to acknowledge the reality of climate change. Although he touts the plant as “cleaner,” it would produce 3 million tons per year of greenhouse gases, and that does not include the upstream emissions from pipelines, compressor stations and wells.

Unfortunately for Keffer, the “extreme” organizations keep citing facts from respected organizations such as the National Academy of Science, the United Nations, and virtually every major scientific society.

Unfortunately for Keffer, the demand for electricity simply is not keeping pace with the number of new generating facilities. According to the US Energy Information Agency, the U.S. has installed almost three times as much new generation capacity as it has seen in retirements in 2019 (23. 7 GW versus 8.3 GW) (https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=37952).

The bad news for West Virginia is that the majority of that new generation is from renewables, and little of it is in West Virginia.

Too much of the rhetoric from the fossil fuel industry simply ignores the issue of climate change, as if pretending it does not exist will mean it goes away.

The result is an echo chamber of preaching to the choir, instead of facing reality. How many fossil fuel companies insisted “Our best days are ahead” right up to the day they declared bankruptcy.

Longview’s proposal for a 20-MW solar farm makes long-term economic and environmental sense, but a 1200-MW gas-fired power plant does not.

Of course, America is still a free country, and Keffer and Longview are free to propose more unneeded fossil fuel construction, in spite of the damage it causes to our communities and our environment.

Just don’t ask us to give them tax breaks for it.

Jim Kotcon, Conservation Chair

West Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club

Morgantown, WV 26504