Ricky Junquera - ricky.junquera@sierraclub.org - (617) 599-7048
Evansville, IN -- Today, more than 35 Vectren customers rallied in front of Vectren’s Evansville headquarters sending a message that “there's #NoFrackingWay we will pay to commit our community to fossil fuels for the next 40 to 50 years.”
Last week, Vectren CEO Carl Chapman announced plans to build an 800 to 900 MW fracked gas plant that would replace generation from Vectren’s coal-burning power plants and commit Vectren customers to fossil fuel dependence for decades to come.
At today’s rally…
Karen Reising, Interim President, Indivisible Evansville said, "Indivisible Evansville is gravely concerned about Vectren's plans to build a massive new fossil-fueled power plant in our area. Although less dirty than coal-fired generation, natural gas will still deliver millions of tons of harmful pollutants into the air we breathe for decades to come -- while much of the rest of the country is moving to commercial-scale, renewable energy resources. The harmful health effects are clear: in 2015, the American Lung Association gave Vanderburgh, Warrick and Henderson counties an "F" grade for ozone pollution.
“And, if being forced to breathe some of the dirtiest air in the country is not injury enough, Vectren also charges us some of the highest utility rates in the nation. It's time to stand up: to preserve our health and that of our children .... and tell Vectren to redirect its investment to renewable energy sources NOW."
Niles Rosenquist, Chair of the Southwest Indiana Sierra Club Network said, “Vectren’s planned fracked-gas power plant is larger than the coal plants they're retiring. Does Vectren need such a large plant to meet customer demand, or are they making us pay for a fracked-gas plant that will make profits for Vectren at the expense of what customers need and want? With solar and wind energy at record low prices and dropping, Vectren should invest in a Clean Energy Future rather than spend hundreds of millions of customer dollars on a fracked gas plant. Evansville residents want clean energy - not another 40 years of polluting fossil fuels in an oversized fracked gas plant.”
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.