Departure Day

Folks, it is just about four hours until the gang and I head out for our trip throughout West Virginia. This should be highly interesting experience, especially when considering the latest EPA guidelines on emmissions from coal fired power plants; these lower emmission requirements, which are a good thing for the environment, can have some negative consequences from an economic standpoint.

The Phillip Sporn plant in Mason County is set to begin closing later this year; this is one of two coal fired power plants within the county with the other being the Mountaineer Power Plant. When it is all said and done, 1050 megawatts of power and 120 jobs will be cut from an already strained economy. But, I have to admit the lakes that surround it, which store part of the residue from the production process, are an environmentalist's worst nightmare.

I guess there is no easy answer abour this. Hopefully my travels this week will give me a better understanding of the debate and some tools to use in my classroom next year. And, I certainly hope to get many pictures of both Pat and Steve; their faces could be considered modern works of art.

Until next time,

William Strait

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