500 signatures reached
To: Governor Kasich & PUCO (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio)
Say No to Dirty Coal Bailouts in Ohio!
Dirty coal is on its way out -- both because it pollutes the planet and because it’s becoming less and less economically viable. Reject the bailouts for dirty coal plants, so that Ohio can reduce dangerous emissions and start building a clean energy future.
Why is this important?
Coal generates 70 percent of electricity in Ohio -- while polluting the air, harming human health, and contributing to climate change.
It's time to phase out dirty, outdated power plants that run on coal. But Ohio’s largest electric utilities — AEP, Duke, and FirstEnergy — want to lock in this dirty source of energy for years to come. In pending cases before the Public Utilities Commission, they’re trying raise customers’ electric bills to pay for coal plants that are no longer competitive in today’s market.
Earlier this year, AEP alone requested to charge Ohio citizens $117 million to keep two coal plants built in the early fifties up and running. Now, AEP has upped its request to cover six coal plants. Duke Energy is asking for a similar amount, but for an even longer period of time.
Meanwhile, FirstEnergy is trying to force customers to pay for all generation and maintenance costs of its 55-year old Sammis coal-burning power plant and the Davis-Besse nuclear plant (guilty of numerous accidents and violations over its 35-year lifespan), just to name a couple. The proposal covers 15 years. At the same time, FirstEnergy is also cutting its customer energy efficiency programs.
It’s wrong to ask people in Ohio to pay more for dirty energy they don’t want, especially when it harms public health and the climate.
If the Public Utilities Commission approves these requests, it would block progress on clean, renewable energy sources by forcing them to compete in a market skewed toward propping up outdated, dirty energy. It would lock in dirty coal in Ohio for years to come, when the state should be transitioning to clean, renewable sources of energy.
Now is an especially important time to speak up, because some of these decisions are expected by the end of 2014. If you live in Ohio, sign this petition to urge state leaders to stand strong against dirty coal and defend our rights to a clean, safe, and livable future.
It's time to phase out dirty, outdated power plants that run on coal. But Ohio’s largest electric utilities — AEP, Duke, and FirstEnergy — want to lock in this dirty source of energy for years to come. In pending cases before the Public Utilities Commission, they’re trying raise customers’ electric bills to pay for coal plants that are no longer competitive in today’s market.
Earlier this year, AEP alone requested to charge Ohio citizens $117 million to keep two coal plants built in the early fifties up and running. Now, AEP has upped its request to cover six coal plants. Duke Energy is asking for a similar amount, but for an even longer period of time.
Meanwhile, FirstEnergy is trying to force customers to pay for all generation and maintenance costs of its 55-year old Sammis coal-burning power plant and the Davis-Besse nuclear plant (guilty of numerous accidents and violations over its 35-year lifespan), just to name a couple. The proposal covers 15 years. At the same time, FirstEnergy is also cutting its customer energy efficiency programs.
It’s wrong to ask people in Ohio to pay more for dirty energy they don’t want, especially when it harms public health and the climate.
If the Public Utilities Commission approves these requests, it would block progress on clean, renewable energy sources by forcing them to compete in a market skewed toward propping up outdated, dirty energy. It would lock in dirty coal in Ohio for years to come, when the state should be transitioning to clean, renewable sources of energy.
Now is an especially important time to speak up, because some of these decisions are expected by the end of 2014. If you live in Ohio, sign this petition to urge state leaders to stand strong against dirty coal and defend our rights to a clean, safe, and livable future.