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While causing more pollution. And then charges customers for it. By Carl Lindner - Jan 28th, 2021 01:52 pm //end headline wrapper ?>Oak Creek Power Plant and Elm Road Generating Station. Photo by Coburn Dukehart/Wisconsin Watch.
Late last year, We Energies‘ well paid, $7-million-a-year executive
Gale Klappaannounced that the older coal burning plant in Oak Creek would be retired in 2024. This decision is hardly cause for celebration.
The older plant had simply become too costly to operate. For years, We Energies could have been saving $75 million annually simply by purchasing energy from the Midwest grid. To save Wisconsin ratepayers this exorbitant annual expense, We Energies could have–and should have–closed this plant long ago. Another four years until it closes means another $300 million over charge for customers. And, even more costly, it means four more years of polluting our air and water. We Energies and WEC (its parent company),
Supported the Movement for Black Lives
Put its resources toward efforts to help families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic
Mourned the loss of a groundbreaking Supreme Court justice
Soldiered through the most consequential presidential election in American history.
And through it all, we continued to work side by side with communities of every race, color, and creed to retire dangerous, polluting coal plants, replace them with clean energy, and support a fair economic transition for workers and communities.
Despite fierce opposition from the Trump administration and its allies, 2020 was the biggest year ever for coal plant retirement announcements, and also the biggest year ever for new wind and solar in the US. We crossed two milestones this year – 60 percent of plants are now announced to retire, and 50 percent of total megawatts. We helped retire 36 coal plants in 2020 alone. And during the four years of Donald Trump’s presidency, nearly 100 coal plants were committed
By Carl Lindner - Dec 20th, 2020 08:41 am //end headline wrapper ?>Oak Creek Power Plant and Elm Road Generating Station. Photo by Coburn Dukehart/Wisconsin Watch.
Two years ago, almost to the day, a dozen or so members of the Clean Power Coalition of Southeast Wisconsin gathered in Zeidler Union Square, across from We Energies‘ headquarters. They were there to protest the pollution and health hazards caused by the two large coal burning plants in Oak Creek.
Since 2017 the Coalition has held public events and published numerous op-eds and letters to editors to educate the public about the toxic effects of coal energy. One of these events, a “listening session,” was held at the Oak Creek Public Library in the spring of 2018. About 200 residents and neighbors were there to share and listen to testimony about the blanket of coal dust they had recently discovered on their cars, houses, driveways, and the playground near the plant. Overnight, th