By Kurt Limbach, Mountain Watershed Association Board member and Bolivar, PA resident
The proposed power plant at the site of the old Homer City coal electric plant will be three times the size of any gas-fired electric plant ever built in America! It will be more than 2.5 times the size of the old Homer City plant. The developer calls itself the “Homer City Redevelopment Corporation”, but the site is actually being developed by Knighthead Capital, a hedge fund owned by a couple of billionaires based in New York City. This enormous power plant, which will be big enough to power a city the size of Philadelphia, will solely power Knighthead Capital’s data center for AI and Crypto, and it will employ only 15 to 20 people.
The old Homer City plant, though highly polluting, had what was once the world’s tallest smokestack at 1217 feet, which tended to throw much of its toxins out of the Laurel Highlands region and even Pennsylvania. This proposed plant will have seven stacks only 190 feet tall, which will throw the toxins produced by this plant just over Chestnut Ridge and into our Pennsylvania communities. It is estimated that the amount of air pollution to be created by this plant will be the equivalent of 2 million automobiles running constantly 24/7 year-round in Homer City. Additionally the Homer City Redevelopment Corporation was able to purchase “pollution credits” through the Department of Environmental Protection. This allows them to be exempt from regulation on the enormous amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Nitrous oxides released by this plant, which are the basic components of unhealthy smog that could cover our region. It is well documented that a gas-fired power plant, which is at least 65% as dirty as a coal plant of the same size, will cause excess deaths, cancers, emphysema, asthma, and other lung-related issues for thousands in the region.
Both this plant and associated data center would also pollute millions of gallons of water for cooling purposes. The tremendous use of natural gas will greatly increase the cost of everyone’s electricity in our region. Moreover, EQT has made a deal to supply Homer City with $15 billion worth of natural gas in the first couple of years alone. Folks heating with natural gas will see tremendous increases in costs. This great demand will also encourage more destructive and polluting fracking operations in our communities.
Billionaires are investing in data centers chiefly because they would like to make more money by replacing workers with AI. What can you do to save our region from becoming a sacrifice zone for AI? You can join the efforts of Concerned Residents of Western Pennsylvania (CROW), who are working to organize against this development. You can also write or email Governor Shapiro, your congressional representative, and your state senators and representatives. Contact information for elected leaders is included below.
Visit palegis.us/find-my-legislator to find the contact information for your elected leaders
PA State Representative District 62
James B. Struzzi II
550 Philadelphia Street
Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 465-0220
(724) 465-0221
PA State Representative District 59
Lesli Rossi
1 Municipal Park Drive
Ligonier Township Building
Ligonier, PA 15658
(724) 238-2155
(724) 238-2156
PA State Senator District 41
Joe Pittman
618 Philadelphia Street
Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 357-0151
(724) 357-0148
U.S. Representative Guy Reschenthaler
5856 Route 981
Latrobe, PA 15650
(724) 219-4200
U.S. Senator John Fetterman
1000 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1811
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Phone: (412) 803-3501
U.S. Senator Dave McCormick
310 Grant Street
Suite 2415
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: (412) 803-7370