WINCHESTER — Opponents of a proposed coal-fueled power plant in southern Clark County were out in force at a public hearing Tuesday night.
East Kentucky Power Cooperative wants to build a 278-megawatt plant near the Kentucky River at Trapp. But in the first 90 minutes of the hearing, only one person in the audience — not counting an East Kentucky Power spokesman — favored the idea.
Several residents of coal-producing counties said they opposed the plant, including Truman Hurt of Perry County.
"We already have enough pollution going into our Kentucky waters from mountaintop removal sites in Eastern Kentucky," Hurt said. "That's definitely the type of coal that these people are going to be using."
More than 115 people attended the hearing at the Clark County Cooperative Extension Service Office.
Nick Comer, external affairs manager for East Kentucky Power, said the plant is needed as the demand for electricity is expected to grow through 2028. The new plant, with a projected cost of more than $800 million, is the "most affordable and reliable option" to meet that need, he said.
William Quisenberry of Clark County spoke in favor of the plant.
"I stand with East Kentucky Power. I think their logic is good," Quisenberry said. "This county needs jobs and I think this area needs jobs, and if we run out of electricity, both of those things will be hurt."
In addition, a proposed 139-acre reservoir that the cooperative wants to build as a backup water supply will provide habitat for wildlife, such as ducks, muskrats and fish, Quisenberry said.
But Jacob Turner of Hazard said East Kentucky Power Cooperative should look at renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, and conservation.
"I see the devastation that coal-mining has brought to where I live, specifically mountaintop removal," Turner said. "If we can move away from coal, and move towards a new, cleaner, more renewable form, then we can stop destruction at Hazard and anywhere else that there is coal."
Several people in the audience wore big stickers that read "Action Now for a Clean Energy Future."
The hearing was held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has permitting authority over navigable waters such as the Kentucky River.
District Commander Col. Keith Landry of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Louisville said he will make the final decision on whether the plant serves the public interest and whether East Kentucky Power should receive a permit.
