Tag: Alabama Power Company
EPA Formally Denies Alabama’s Plan for Coal Ash Waste
The federal agency says the state’s plan was not as protective as federal standards, allowing toxic waste to remain in unlined pits that may contaminate groundwater. Alabama officials say they will appeal. Read more.
Place, Erased: How a Drowned Alabama Town Still Holds Lessons 60 Years Later
Some Southern towns have been erased by environmental disasters — whether natural or man-made. One Alabama town offers lessons on the hidden cost of progress. Read more.
An Alabama Coal Plant Once Again Nabs the Dubious Title of the Nation’s Worst Greenhouse Gas Polluter
In West Jefferson, everything happens in the shadow of Alabama Power.
Fewer than 500 people live in the town of less than one square mile, located just a 20-minute drive northwest of Birmingham. There’s little in the way of excess. Modest homes dot the landscape, with residents waving as cars pass by. There’s a Dollar General, a Baptist church and an elementary school — the staples of a small Southern community. But in this town, a plant looms large. Read more.
PSC Hearing Wraps Up. Decision on Alabama Power’s $1.1 Billion Expenditure Not Likely Soon.
Testimony wrapped up Wednesday in a Public Service Commission hearing on Alabama Power Company’s bid to spend $1.1 billion to add new energy sources. The company and opposing groups were asked to submit legal briefs by April 17 to support their views on how administrative law judge John A. Garner should rule in the matter.
A decision is not expected until summer, and further delay is likely if the ruling is challenged in circuit court. Read more.
More on the topic:
PSC Hearing Starts Monday on Alabama Power Request to Add $1.1 Billion in Energy Capacity
Plant Gorgas Latest Coal Giant to Fall as Power Companies Turn Toward Natural Gas, Renewables
In the past four years, Alabama Power has reduced its coal-fired units from 23 to 10. After Plant Gorgas closes, only three coal-burning plants will remain in the company’s energy portfolio.
The Plant Gorgas news came hard on the heels of PowerSouth Electrical Cooperative’s recent decision to shutter Plant Lowman on the Tombigbee River next year. Last week, the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors voted to close two of the eight coal plants in its inventory. And just two weeks ago, Georgia Power Co. proposed to retire five such units at two power plants.
These are just the latest in a trend across the country to reduce reliance on coal and diversify utility portfolios with other sources of energy, principally wind, solar and other renewables. Read more.
PowerSouth CEO Blames ‘Extremist Environmental Ideology’ for Shuttering a Coal-Fired Plant in South Alabama
Coosa River Gets Help: Federal Court Overturns Alabama Power’s License to Operate 7 Dams, Orders New Look at Waterway’s Environment
Alabama Power Company is mulling how to proceed after a federal appellate court on Monday threw out its license to operate seven dams on the Coosa River.
The ruling called the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s decision to issue the 30-year license “arbitrary and capricious.” The court said the decision was based on reviews and opinion that “were unreasoned and unsupported by substantial evidence.”
The decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia requires the case be returned to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to perform a more extensive environmental impact assessment.
The decision was a rare reversal of a FERC dam licensing ruling. In an emailed statement, Alabama Power expressed disappointment, arguing that FERC’s findings “fully support the licensing decision.” Read more.
