“Dirty, Expensive and Unnecessary” -- that’s how Mississippians now describe the Kemper coal plant. Kemper was supposed to be a flagship project for so-called “clean coal,” But this massive, extremely expensive coal project has failed expectations at every corner -- and even voters in deep red Mississippi are sick of it. That’s why the Sierra Club and our allies successfully fought to elect two clean energy champions to the state’s Public Service Commission who would stand up to this wasteful project and support initiatives that create jobs and don’t threaten the families and communities around them with toxic pollution.
The Kemper coal plant was originally supposed to cost $1.8 billion. It’s popularity took a nosedive after several blown construction deadlines helped the cost balloon to a whopping $6.2 billion. Southern Company, which is building the plant, must now repay $137 million in tax credits and refund over $350 million to their customers. Now, people no longer think of the Kemper coal plant as a “job creator” but as a massive waste of money which stands as “one of the most expensive power plants ever constructed in the United States.”
And that’s just when you look at the financial cost of the project. Once you examine the rest of the Kemper project, it’s even easier to see that the plant would have profound negative consequences for public health and our environment. Construction of the plant would generate significant air and water pollution, and still create huge amounts of carbon pollution, contributing to the climate crisis.
Ultimately, the plant’s fate may rest with Mississippi’s 3-member Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC plays a key role in determining the future of coal and clean energy use in Mississippi, and has the ability to greenlight toxic coal plants like Kemper or clean energy friendly policies like “net metering,” which preserve electricity choice for everyone.
This election cycle, all three PSC seats were open, paving the way for the election of clean energy commissioners who are deeply skeptical of the wisdom behind shelling out more and more money for a coal plant whose cost just keep climbing. The local Sierra Club joined the fray because we saw an opportunity to lift up the voices in the community who were standing against Kemper and calling for a shift from a utility-dominated commission to one that will chart a new direction towards investments in a clean energy future and protecting consumers pocketbooks.
The work was certainly cut out for everyone standing up against the powerful, deep-pocketed utility companies. Money, especially in down-ticket races like the PSC, is difficult to raise, and as you can imagine it’s even more difficult for pro-environment candidates in deep red states. But, while the big polluters may have their money, the Sierra Club and our allies have something they don’t: grassroots power. That’s why the Sierra Club’s Mississippi Chapter and other groups engaged heavily in outreach on all fronts -- they hosted candidate meet and greets, wrote op-eds and LTEs and canvassed throughout their neighborhoods.
At the end of the day, our hard work paid off -- in a deep red state that has at times been pro-coal, we helped elect two candidates who opposed Kemper and backed clean energy: incumbent Brandon Presley and newly elected candidate Cecil Brown.
Immediately after the election, the plant’s investors began to worry, and have downgraded Mississippi Power’s credit rating. Michael Haggerty, the Associate Managing Director of Moody’s, said the the downgrade was “prompted by the election of what we expect to be a less credit supportive Mississippi Public Service Commision at a time when the utility will be pursuing important rate recover proceedings on the Kemper IGCC plant in 2016 … The election of two new commissioners increases regulatory uncertainty and heightens the risk that the utility will not obtain full and timely rate of recovery…” In other words, because two out of three commissioners now oppose more corporate bailouts for coal, Moody’s is pessimistic about Kemper’s future -- and so are we.
But these clean energy champions aren’t stopping there. Yesterday, the PSC unanimously approved three large solar power projects for customers of Mississippi Power Company. These new solar projects won’t cost customers like Kemper will -- and in fact, Mississippi Power expects the plants to ultimately help keep customer rates lower.
The election and reelection of these clean energy champions to Mississippi’s PSC is a major victory for public health and the health of our environment in the deep South. And we’re not only helping put the brakes on a dirty, outrageously expensive and dangerous coal plant, but we’re paved the way for clean energy for Mississippi. Not only will the state have three new solar plants, but as one of just six states without solar-friendly “net metering” policies, Mississippi now has an open door for stronger clean energy initiatives. This is a victory which clears the path for future local victories in the places that matter most.