New EPA Rule Could Close Newark Power Plant

Jessi Turnure with our content partner, KAIT Ch. 8, reports:

A proposed rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on carbon dioxide emissions could shut down two older Arkansas coal-fired power plants.

The White Bluff Electric Power Plant in Jefferson County and the Independence Steam Electric Station in Independence County could close because the new EPA rule would require Arkansas to reduce emissions by 44% by 2030.

Energy officials concerned with the EPA rules say more modern “clean coal” burning facilities such as the Plum Point Power plant near Osceola and the Turk Power Plant near Hope could also be threatened.

State lawmakers adopted a resolution Tuesday opposing the proposal, and that opposition continues down to the local government level.

“It would be very difficult for us to overcome this if we did indeed lose the plant,” Newark Mayor Jim Cunningham said.

Mayor Cunningham said the electric station’s closure would cause a domino effect, starting with its employees, about 1,200 people.

“A lot of them would be transferred out of state to the other plants that they have, but a lot of folks would just be out of a job,” Cunningham said.

The plant’s closure would also result in an economic impact of about $600 million a year.

“That’s going to take a lot of good income out of our town and county,” Cunningham said.

The mayor says the EPA has taken its guidelines too far.

“They need to come back to reality,” Cunningham said. “The figures they’re throwing out here are not even in the ballpark. They’ve gone way out of line in my opinion. It’s just like the speed limit out here on this highway. A 10 mph speed limit is not realistic and obviously we wouldn’t want it to go 100 mph, but make a realistic target and we can live with that.”

Cunningham said the electric station could meet a more realistic emission percentage.

“We certainly hope we get the chance to do that,” Cunningham said. “I’m counting on our public officials to get in here and do the right thing.”

“There’s no reason to close those plants,” said Sen. John Cooper, R-Jonesboro. “We’re not contributing that much to the emissions if you look at it from a global scale.”

Sen. Cooper said he and many of his fellow legislators oppose the proposed EPA regulations.

“These regulations are coming from people who no one’s ever voted for,” Cooper said. “They’re going to have a tremendous economic impact in our state.”

White Bluff and the Independence Steam electric stations are owned in part by Entergy Corp. Read more and watch KAIT Ch. 8’s full coverage at this link.