UPDATE: Court rejects power plant permit for southwest Arkansas

By The Associated Press

Photo by Benjamin Krain

The John W. Turk Jr. coal-fired plant, construction of which is shown in December, would provide power for western Arkansas and parts of Louisiana and Texas.

ADVERSTISMENT

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Court of Appeals says state regulators didn't adequately review plans for a $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant in Hempstead County and has rejected a permit allowing its construction.

The court on Wednesday ordered the Public Service Commission to conduct a new hearing on whether the plant should be built near Fulton. Judges on the court panel says the PSC needs to consider whether its decision to approve the plant was arbitrary.

The unanimous decision was written by Justice Karen R. Baker and had no dissenting opinions. Justice Josephine L. Hart wrote a concurring opinion. Justices Hart, Robert J. Gladwin, Rita W. Gruber, David M. Glover and Waymond M. Brown were listed as agreeing.

According to the court, the PSC failed to comply with a law that requires utilities to demonstrate environmental compatibility and public need. It said a study cited by Southwestern Electric Power Co. provided "little if any support" for the plant.

Paul Suskie, the chairman of the state's Public Service Commission, did not immediately respond to a call for comment Wednesday.

Officials with SWEPCO, based in Shreveport, La., did not immediately return a call for comment. SWEPCO is a subsidiary of Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power, among the largest electric utilities in the country.

It has 111,000 customers in Arkansas, and 340,000 more in Texas and Louisiana. The utility also could sell excess power to other companies.

Regulators in Louisiana and Texas have already approved permits for the plant, which would have some impact on ratepayers in those states.

According to the Court of Appeals - Arkansas' second-highest court - a study cited by SWEPCO ranked the woods near Fulton as seventh-best on a list of 10 potential sites.

Preliminary site work has already started in the woods near Fulton, about 15 miles from the Texas border in the far southwestern part of Arkansas.

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Comments on UPDATE: Court rejects power plant permit for southwest Arkansas

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Chriswren says...

This is great news. Let's hope it stands!

June 24, 2009 at 10:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

unemployedinar says...

Well, another step backwards for Arkansas. Let's stop construction and add more families to the unemployment roll all because of some environmental wacko's and the rich white duck hunters. I guess they have spent enough money to finally get a victory (which will hopefully be short lived). All of the hard working Arkansans should get ready to shell out more money. This will only drive your electric rates higher.

June 24, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

JohnnieC says...

Unemployedinar, you are obviously unaware of the fact that SWEPCO is currently trying to raise rates by 20% just to build this COAL power plant. Coal power plants raise our rates. Increasing energy efficiency lowers our bills.

June 24, 2009 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

mile3 says...

It is long past time to stop building fossil fuel power plants and begin building nuclear power plants, the only clean power generation available in sufficient quantities to meet the public's need.

June 24, 2009 at 12:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

huffsisland says...

I agree with the second comment and not just because I live in arkansas but because I happen to work there and I have been building power plants for more than ten years and I think that the people who disagree with this plant are very misinformed about modern coal fired power plants they are not the coal burners that they built back in the 50's-70's. Over half the power block on these type plants are air quality systems (scrubbers, baghouses, and filters). All of the ash is caught and sold to concrete companys to put in the concrete mix, all the sulfer is extracted from the exhaust. There will not be big billows of black smoke rolling out of the stack or ash all over your cars or acid rain falling out of the sky like some of these commenters would like you to think. In fact you will not be able to tell any difference at all other than in july and august swepco won't be buying electricity from other companys due to shortage and charging us for it on our bill. I think if your worried about it you probably better park your car and turn off your electricity for a few days and see what you think then.

June 24, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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