Ken Ward - From: Harrison County Power on behalf of Harrison County Power Sent: Monday, July 9, 2018 10:22 AM To: kward@wvgazettemail.com Subject: Media Release: Frivolous Lawsuits Funded by Murray Energy Endangering Thousands ofJobs in West Virginia and Adding to Electricity Costs For Immediate Release Contact: l. Date: July 9,2018 Frivolous Lawsuits Funded by Murray Energy Endangering Thousands of Jobs in West Virginia and Adding to Electricity Costs CHARLESTON, WV Murray Energy, the nation?s largest underground coal company, is funding frivolous lawsuits that now jeopardize thousands of jobs in West Virginia and will result in continuing the already record pace of electrical energy price increases in the state. The company has provided what is estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to a front group named the Ohio Valley Jobs Alliance (OVJA) to fight natural gas power plants in West Virginia. OVJA Secretary-Treasurer Jim Thomas has con?rmed the organization?s legal actions are funded by Murray Energy. "There is no way to sugar-coat this,? said Drew Dorn, Director of ESC Harrison County Power, LLC and President of Energy Solutions Consortium, LLC. ?Murray Energy is trying to kill thousands of jobs on these projects. Murray Energy has made huge amounts of money off of natural gas in rights-of?way and other means, but when it comes to West Virginia natural gas making electricity, the company is trying to achieve through the courts what it could not through the marketplace. The bottom line is that West Virginia?s existing power plants are an average age of 40 years old and West Virginians could lose out on new power plants and all of the economic bene?ts that surrounding states are realizing from their construction and operation due to Ohio?s Murray Energy." in the latest action to delay or kiil new natural gas power plants in West Virginia, the Ohio Valley Jobs Alliance has ?led an appeal of the air permit for the proposed Harrison County Energy Center being developed by ESC Harrison. An economic impact study by Dr. Tom Witt, formerly of West Virginia University and an undisputed expert in the West Virginia economy. show that the positive economic impact from construction alone of the Harrison County facility will be $880 million and an additional overall annual economic impact of $287 million each year while supporting local business and local natural gas exploration and production. The plant will support 400 jobs during construction producing 2,543 job years and 713 ongoing jobs (direct, indirect and induced). Another plant being proposed, Brooke County Power, will support an additional 1,164 jobs, will have $1.25 billion of economic impact during construction and $440 million per year in ongoing economic impact. ?All of thesejobs and economic impact are now endangered by Murray Energy?s actions," explained Dorn. "There is no substance to the OVJA appeals and its frivolous actions are only serving to delay job producing, clean, economic investment in West Virginia. The state used to have among the lowest electricity costs in the nation but has now slipped twenty spots. And every state with cheaper electricity uses more natural gas than West Virginia. The impact of high electric costs reaches far beyond hardship to residential electric customers by discouraging industrial companies who are considering large investments in manufacturing plants with thousands of jobs in West Virginia.? in addition to developing the Harrison County project, Energy Solutions Consortium, is working to construct a natural gas power plant in Brooke County, West Virginia. Murray?s front group, OVJA, also vigorously fought that projects siting certi?cate and has now formally appealed the project's siting certi?cate and submitted comments opposing the issuance of its air permit. During the hearing on the siting certi?cate for the Brooke County natural gas power plant before the West Virginia Public Service Commission, Thomas stated that Murray Energy was paying for legal work and funding its legal opposition to the proposed natural gas power plants in West Virginia. When the siting certi?cate for the Brooke County power plant was issued, the Ohio Valley Jobs Alliance appealed the certi?cate decision to the West Virginia Supreme Court in a further effort to delay or kill the project. OVJA has also brought legal challenges against natural gas power plants in Moundsville, West Virginia and Cadiz, Ohio. Previously, when an air permit for the Moundsville Power natural gas power plant was approved by the WV Air Quality Board (WVAQB) in July of 2016, Thomas con?rmed that Board had not signed a contract for representation with the attorneys representing them in the appeal, had not received invoices for their work and the substance of the appeal was not a result of any feedback from OVJA. In other words, OVJA was not the real party in interest. delaying tactics included appealing the issuance of the Moundsville Power air permit to Kanawha County Circuit Court where it languished nearly a year and a half before a ?nal ruling was issued. The Conclusions of Law in Judge Tabit?s ruling denying the appeal stated: "The OVJA has, through its of?cers, admitted that it has taken this appeal solely to try to protect the coal industry, not to protect human health orthe environment. Vol. 1, pp. 148-51, 160- The OVJA was formed and operates for the sole purpose of advancing the interests of the coal industry. Supporting the coal industry may be a legitimate endeavor, but the right to mine coal or to construct, own, or operate coal burning power plants is not a substantial right in the context of this proceeding.? While Tabit?s rullng upheld the issuance ofthe air permit, the legal delays resulted in the project?s suspension. OVJA has also attempted to intervene in cases in Ohio where the Ohio Public Utility Commission previously declared that the organization did not have standing. Most recently, OVJA has ?led Freedom of Information Act requests for an announced natural gas power plant in Cadiz, Ohio that has recently received approval from the Ohio Public Utility Commission. When asked for a comment on the jobs killing activities of the OVJA, Drew Dorn stated that "Natural gas ?re power plants are being built in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia. Power prices in those states are more affordable, and jobs are rising. It is not just the huge bene?t during construction, but the industries that low power prices attract; the smelter in Kentucky, the Shell cracker in the PPT Cracker in Ohio, all major projects and employers that should have been in West Virginia. OVJA is only helping one entity, Murray Energy, and the cost of these activities is being borne by the working families of West Virginia." References: Copyright 2018 Harrison County Power, AH rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a contact of the media. Our mailing address is: Harrison County Power 360 Delaware Ave Ste 406 Buffalo, NY 14202?1610 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.