FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 20, 2018
Contact: Press@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
BOWLING GREEN, KY – Yesterday, as part of his continued efforts to defend Kentuckians from federal overreach, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) submitted official comments to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) regarding its environmental assessment on the potential retirement of the Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County, which it issued shortly before Thanksgiving.
“The retirement of Paradise would be detrimental to the local economy of Muhlenberg and its negative impact would be felt throughout the surrounding counties. Such action would not only prolong the war on coal, picking winners and losers in the energy sector, but it would also be contrary to the core mission of TVA to provide reliable, low-cost energy to those in its service area. It is for these reasons I ardently oppose the retirement of the Paradise Fossil Plant,” Dr. Paul stated in the introduction to his comments.
For the past several months, Dr. Paul and his staff have actively engaged in discussions with Kentuckians, officials in Muhlenberg County, and the TVA regarding the status of Unit 3, the last coal-fired unit at the Paradise Fossil Plant.
On December 4, Dr. Paul called for Kentuckians to make their voices heard by joining him in filing a comment with the TVA.
Below you can find Dr. Paul’s entire introduction, along with a summary of his comments:
Introduction to Dr. Paul’s Comments
“On behalf of my constituents, I write in strong opposition to the potential retirement of the Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. In 2013, I joined other members of the Kentucky congressional delegation urging the Tennessee Valley Authority to maintain its use of coal for electricity generation at Paradise Units 1 and 2. At the time, Paradise employed 400 full-time employees and generated $13.19 million in tax receipts in 2012 for the Muhlenberg area. After the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards regulation, I again joined my fellow Kentuckians in voicing support of maintaining operations at Paradise Units 1 and 2. Our fears that retiring Units 1 and 2 would cut the Paradise workforce in half were realized in 2017 as the doors of Units 1 and 2 closed.
“Today, Paradise Unit 3 directly employs 131 full-time employees and indirectly impacts hundreds more jobs from the miners who supply coal and limestone to Unit 3 to the trucking companies who deliver approximately 200 truckloads of coal to Paradise each day.[1] The retirement of Paradise would be detrimental to the local economy of Muhlenberg and its negative impact would be felt throughout the surrounding counties. Such action would not only prolong the war on coal, picking winners and losers in the energy sector, but it would also be contrary to the core mission of TVA to provide reliable, low-cost energy to those in its service area. It is for these reasons I ardently oppose the retirement of the Paradise Fossil Plant.”
Summary of Dr. Paul’s Comments
“The Paradise facility aids both the mission and purpose of TVA in helping provide reliable, low-cost energy to those living in the Tennessee River Valley, and promoting economic development throughout the service area. Retiring Paradise would be contrary to that mission. Additionally, Paradise plays a vital role in the economies of Muhlenberg and the surrounding counties, facts not fully accounted for in the Environmental Assessment. The draft Environmental Assessment released in November poses only two options for Paradise: (1) maintain Paradise as is, or (2) completely retire it. Neglecting additional alternatives would be short-sighted considering the dire economic consequences that would result from retirement. For these reasons I urge the TVA Board to maintain the use of coal-fired electricity generation at the Paradise Fossil Plant and stop all plans for its retirement.”
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