BECKLEY, W.Va. — Appalachian Power Company President and COO Charles Patton testified at a U.S. Senate field hearing in Beckley Monday that it won’t be long until parent company American Electric Power is using a larger majority of other energy sources than its using coal.
Patton said there’s been a significant reduction in coal usage in the last 15 years.
“Sixty percent of (today’s) generating capacity is coal compared to well over 80 percent in 2000,” Patton said. “By 2026 the percentage is expected to drop to 45 percent.”
The field hearing focused on the federal EPA’s Clean Power Plan that could become final later this year. U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito hosted the hearing at the Raleigh County judicial complex.
Patton said power company rates went up 40 percent when clean air equipment was installed at coal-fired power plants several years ago. He said he doesn’t know if customers can afford what it might cost his company to comply with the Clean Power Plan.
“How much more can they afford? I’m not sure,” Patton said. “In West Virginia over 400,000 low-income and middle-income families spend 20 percent of their after-tax income on energy and approximately 25 percent of my residential customers are delinquent on their electric bills.”
Attorney Eugene Trisko, speaking on behalf of the United Mine Workers of America, said the impact of the new rule would be a neutron bomb on coalfield communities. He said West Virginia is dealing with two major problems.
“The majority of West Virginia’s coal production is shipped to other states that have even larger emission reduction requirements than West Virginia and second, the majority of the coal-based electricity in West Virginia is exported to other states effected by the rule,” Trisko said.
The impact of the rule on the economy was also discussed.
“We do want a clean environment. Being fathers and grandfathers here, we definitely want a clean environment,” said Chuck Farmer, president, Rouster WRR. “But we need consistent long term goals that don’t crush our economy here in southern West Virginia.”
Senator Capito and Third District Congressman Evan Jenkins gave opening statements and asked the witnesses several questions.