Officials from small communities in Clermont County had plenty of questions on Tuesday about the impending closure of the William H. Zimmer Power Station. But they didn’t seem to like the answers they got.
Clermont County officials knew they would lose millions in future tax revenue when Vistra Corp. announced last year that it would close the William H. Zimmer coal plant. But that is just the beginning of the revenue loss that many Clermont communities, schools, and libraries could be facing.
More than 100 Clermont County residents are suing the owner of the former Walter C. Beckjord coal plant, claiming that open dumping of coal ash is threatening to cause an environmental catastrophe.
The Village of New Richmond is hoping for a $877,500 state grant to transform it from a recovering coal plant community to a waterfront destination for boaters, bikers and history buffs.