FirstEnergy Shutting Down 6 coal-Fired Power Plants

FirstEnergy says that new Obama administration’s environmental regulations led to a decision to shutdown 6 coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, laying off more than 400 employees. The plants, which are in Cleveland, Ashtabula, Oregon and Eastlake in Ohio, Adrian, Pennsylvania and Williamsport, Maryland, will be retired by September 1st. They have generated about 10% of the electricity produced by FirstEnergy over the last 3 years, the company said. ‘This decision is not in any way a reflection of the fine work done by the employees at the affected plants, but is related to the impact of new environmental rules,’ said James Lash, president unit. He said that a review of the company’s coal-fired plants determined it would not be cost-effective to get the older ones into compliance with the stringent new regulations EPA announced in December. The new standards are designed to drive up the cost of coal and oil-fired power plants so that they can’t compete with subsidized renewables and natural gas and are shut down. A recent survey found that the changes are likely shutdown dozens of units in the Midwest and in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. FirstEnergy said its decision would directly affect 529 employees.