BELMONT, W.Va. — The bill to financially relieve a power plant in Pleasants County has been signed by Gov. Jim Justice, but not without controversy.
At the bill signing ceremony on Tuesday, Justice denied he knew of the $3 million payout on a coal deal dispute between his company and the power plant’s owner when he supported the $12.5 million tax cut bill for FirstEnergy Solutions.
“There’s not one cell in me that knew anything about a lawsuit that existed with my companies,” he said to the crowd.
“Maybe I should have known but not one cell.”
FirstEnergy Solutions filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and operates over the Pleasants Power Station. The bill cuts the business and occupation tax for that plant.
John Judge, the CEO of FirstEnergy Solutions, had previously said the Pleasants Power Station in Willow Island would likely close within the year if it had to continue paying the tax.
Justice and his office have said there is no evidence that the federal lawsuit has anything to do with the tax relief signed into law on Tuesday.
“Never beyond never. I will never ever do anything for me over the goodness of our state and especially you,” Justice said.
Some lawmakers were left questioning their vote after finding out about the lawsuit days after.
The lawmakers at the ceremony on Tuesday cited the importance of the plant to remain open for the sake of the community and coal producers and other industries.
Justice called for the bill to be taken up by the legislature after amending a special session.
“We have a governor, we have legislators that could have very easily just listening to what everybody else was saying,” Jay Powell, president of the Pleasants County Commission said Tuesday.
“It’s no secret the war on coal. There’s no secret those in Pleasants County know the war on this power plant. They could have listened to those voices because they were loud and clear.”
In other news with the plant, an August electrical auction has been postponed which was reported by Parkersburg News and Sentinel. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission made the ruling recently as new tariffs need to be developed.
The auction had already been postponed once, which could make the plant receive profit for the power it provides.
The power plant employs about 160 people and is supplied by West Virginia coal.
“Nobody is going to support you more than I. Nobody is going to go to bat for you more than I. Nobody believes in coal more than I,” Justice said.
LIVE: Gov. Justice Signs HB 207 at Pleasants Power Station https://t.co/IO786fo4Xx
— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) July 30, 2019