Tim: Earlier this year, we brought you the story of Centralia, Washington–home to that state’s only coal plant–that made a deal with the state to close…but also to help the community deal with the loss. 

StateImpact Pennsylvania’s Rachel McDevitt reported that story and joins me now to talk about a new project. 

Rachel, remind us why you went to Washington state. 

Rachel: I went to see an example of what happens to a community when it can plan ahead for a big economic disruption in its energy economy. 

The Washington plant made a deal with the state over a decade ago to close by 2025 and to create a 55 million dollar fund to help the community move on to the next thing–whatever that may be. And so far it’s helped small businesses and it’s gotten new energy industries like hydrogen interested in the area. 

But in Pennsylvania, most communities haven’t gotten help, even as the coal industry has declined. 

Tim: Have there been any efforts to help coal communities in Pennsylvania transition?

Rachel: Nothing comprehensive. And the most recent state plan that came from former Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, caused a lot of controversy and is still tied up in a legal fight. 

Tim: That was the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative?

Rachel: Right, Wolf wanted Pennsylvania to join RGGI, which is a program with ten other northeastern states that makes power plants pay for the pollution they emit. So that would make coal plants more expensive to run and make cleaner energy sources more appealing on the electric grid. 

Wolf wanted some of the money raised through RGGI to go to energy communities–places that are losing jobs because of the energy transition–to help them create something new. 

Republican lawmakers and energy groups sued over the program, and so Pennsylvania has never participated or raised any money that could go to coal communities. And that leaves those places pretty much on their own. 

Tim: You just visited one such energy community–Homer City in Indiana County, which lost its plant last year. What did you find?

Rachel: Homer City now has to deal with a loss of a major industry, and the legacy of that industry. The borough manager wants to pivot to a more recreation, nature based economy, but first, he needs to clean up the waterways that are polluted from a century of coal mining. 

Tim: Definitely sounds like a big challenge. Let’s listen to your report.