“A potential increase in the cost of electric bills is not the only thing on the minds of AEP officials.”
WTOV-9 (Ohio Valley) reports:
American Electric Power’s Kammer Plant in Marshall County is one of hundreds across the country set to close due to new Environmental Protection Agency mercury and air toxic standards.
While AEP’s Cardinal and Mitchell plants meet those cleaner air standards, the Kammer Plant is one of 11 owned by AEP that can’t make the costly upgrades in the allotted time frame.
Kammer Plant manager Dan Moyer said there is a lot at stake with the closure.
“It impacts the community tremendously from a standpoint (that) we have a payroll of about $4.2 million and we pay property taxes in the area of about $1.7 million,” said Moyer.
On top of that, roughly $620,000 is given to state and local taxes, and 60 jobs will be affected by the closure.
Also, local businesses are expected to feel the heat.
“There are so many different suppliers for that power plant, so there will be definite cutbacks in a lot of commercial businesses throughout the area,” said Dave Knuth with the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce.
Possibly one of the biggest concerns is the effects on customers. A potential increase in the cost of electric bills is not the only thing on the minds of AEP officials.
“Blackouts is a concern for us,” said AEP spokeswoman Carmen Prati-Miller…