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N.Y.C. Council speaker calls on Mayor Eric Adams to resign; KY could do more to protect kids from accidental drug ingestion, shootings; OH food banks face fed funding uncertainty, DeWine budget cuts; Protesters say Trump administration actions 'cast aside democracy.'

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On a Middle East visit, Sen. Richard Blumenthal rejects a Gaza takeover. President's Day protests erupt around the country against White House moves, and another aviation accident draws attention to recent FAA cuts.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

WV green lights solar plant construction, advocates rally against rising utility bills

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Friday, August 16, 2024   

Residents in Nicholas and Clay counties could soon receive their electricity from a local solar plant, estimated to power around 90,000 homes in the region.

The Public Service Commission of West Virginia recently approved construction of the plant. According to a June 2024 survey from the Pew Research Center, one-third of respondents said a nearby solar development would help their local economy.

Gary Zuckett, executive director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, described the move as a win for the state and for the environment.

"West Virginia still generates about 89% of its electricity by burning fossil fuels, so any kind of new renewable energy is good news," Zuckett asserted. "We have a lot of policymakers in the state that sort of lean into fossil energy as the only way to generate power."

Deep Lake Energy Center filed an application earlier this year to construct a 150-megawatt solar electric generating plant on a former surface mine. According to the Commission, the company, a subsidiary of Shell New Energies U.S., estimated its capital investment would total $386 million and produce more than 300 jobs during construction.

Zuckett added skyrocketing utility bills are a consequence of continued reliance on fossil fuels, adding coal-fired plants are an expensive way to produce electricity, second only to nuclear power. He pointed out West Virginia residents energy costs have doubled over the past decade and major regional utility companies like Appalachian Power are proposing more hikes, prompting a rally in downtown Charleston this week.

"We are having a rally to demonstrate our discontent with the ever rising electric rates here in the state of West Virginia," Zuckett explained.

Research shows West Virginians' average monthly residential bills more than doubled between 2002 and 2022, from about $67 to $142 per month.


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