I’m disappointed in the editorial “In Our View: Power plant upgrades serve people, planet” (The Columbian, Nov. 13). The editorial rightly praises Clark Public Utilities for its $10.5 million investment in new equipment at the River Road Generating Plant, equipment that will reduce reliance on the plant’s output and reduce the plant’s harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
The gas plant is currently one of biggest greenhouse gas emitters in Washington. Any reduction in its emissions is desirable. But the editorial’s conclusion the utility should continue to operate the plant until 2045 to keep our rates low ignores several cost considerations.
The editorial ignores the economic and health costs of continuing to operate the plant. The editorial ignores the plant’s impact on air quality in the surrounding Felida neighborhood. The editorial doesn’t consider costs of running the plant, including wear and tear on a nearly 30-year-old plant, unplanned downtime, and the likely increased cost of gas to run the plant.
The utility has no plan to shut down the gas plant until 2045. Consequently, it has until 2045 to find renewable replacements for the plant. That’s too late to effectively address the climate impacts our community faces. Clark Public Utilities can and should do better.