Ricky Junquera, Ricky.Junquera@sierraclub.org, (617) 599-7048
Evansville, IN - Today, a half dozen local consumers and clean energy advocates gathered in front of their electric utility’s headquarters to Carol for Clean Energy, telling Vectren they want renewable energy this holiday season, not fracked gas.
Last holiday season Vectren announced they would retire their coal burning power plants, but then announced they would move forward with fracked gas. Vectren’s plan is not what they say it is: a “Smart Energy Future.” Evansville residents, already burdened with the highest electric bills in the state, shouldn’t be asked to foot the bill for a large fracked gas plant. During Vectren’s planning process in 2016, the utility estimated the cost of the plant at between $650 and $710 million - and that didn’t include gas line costs.
Dr. Edith Hardcastle, a leader in Indivisible Evansville and a professor at the University of Southern Indiana presented Wayne Games, Vectren Vice President of Power Supply, and Vectren CEO Carl Chapman with the Gift of Clean Energy:
“We hereby present Vectren with the Gift of Clean Energy. Clean energy and energy efficiency are the gifts that keep on giving, and we ask you, in the spirit of the holiday season, to share these gifts with your customers.
“The Gift of Clean Energy is a meaningful energy efficiency program that will save customers money.
“The Gift of Clean Energy saves Vectren lobbying dollars now used to fight against a clean energy future for Indiana.
“The Gift of Clean Energy is shelving plans to build a huge fracked gas plant.
“The Gift of Clean Energy is replacing your coal-burning units with energy from the wind, sun and storage.
“The Gift of Clean Energy results in lower customer bills, cleaner air and water, and a healthier place for all of us to live.
“The Gift of Clean Energy is committing to a clean energy future for Evansville, and being a leader in a region dominated by Super Polluter coal plants.
“Vectren has made some promising first steps, by committing to retire coal, and by building some small solar projects.
“With these symbolic gifts, we ask you, Wayne Games, vice president of power supply for Vectren, and CEO Carl Chapman, for a true commitment to a clean energy future in Evansville that we ALL can celebrate.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.