Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org
MUSCATINE, IA -- At Thursday night’s meeting of the Muscatine Power & Water (MPW) board, Sierra Club presented a new analysis finding that investing in a clean energy portfolio would be cheaper than building a new gas plant, which MPW is considering. MPW made public over the summer its initial plans to phase out coal power, replacing part of the 270 MW plant with 30 MW of solar. MPW is currently weighing whether to replace the remaining coal generation with a new combined heat and power gas plant, based on a power supply study that has not been available to the public.
The Sierra Club applauds MPW’s decision to transition away from coal, but raises concerns that fracked gas is proven to be dangerous for the climate and public health, while also more expensive than truly clean alternatives like wind, solar, storage, energy efficiency, and demand response. The analysis also called attention to a possible competition between the needs of industrial and residential customers with a new gas plant.
The full Sierra Club analysis can be viewed here.
In response, Sierra Club Iowa Beyond Coal Representative Katie Rock released the following statement:
"Replacing one fossil fuel with another is a shortsided move that forces customers and our environment to pay an unnecessary price. MPW’s consideration is based on a study that they have so far refused to make public. Our own analysis shows that their proposal is more expensive than clean energy alternatives, not to mention the extra cost to our health and environment. So long as they work off information they keep behind closed doors, we are left to guessand the direction MPW is leaning leaves us with a lot of concerns."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, 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.