Public sessions set on proposed Elizabeth Township power plant

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

Area residents will have a chance to ask questions and get answers Tuesday at a public meeting about a proposed power plant in Elizabeth Township.

“The Allegheny County Health Department asked us to handle this for them,” said James Cato of the Mountain Watershed Association. “At this meeting you can have a back and forth with the ACHD and the Department of Environmental Protection, which notably will not happen at the public hearing.”

Tuesday’s 7 p.m. virtual event is the first of three sessions related to the power plant permit application scheduled over the next month. On May 20, there will be a technical comment meeting in which members of the public will receive step-by-step instructions on how to make comments and address concerns to the ACHD and the DEP regarding the permit. 

June 8 is the official public hearing, during which residents may submit their official comments on the power plant to the ACHD.

Cato said participation in this initial session and the public hearing is an important part of the permitting process.

“It shows that the community is aware and concerned,” Cato said. “A shale gas power plant doesn’t burn as clean as a regular natural gas fired plant.”

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