Who is ready for crazy expensive electric bills?????

[Black92LX]

Time to get send out e-mails and get on the phone with your congress critters and reps. We need to get legislation in place to reign in the EPA. Your wallet is going to feel it!!!!!!!!

http://www.fox19.com/story/15102298/duke-energy-closing-beckjord-power-plant-by-2015


Duke Energy closing Beckjord power plant by 2015

Posted: Jul 18, 2011 5:35 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 18, 2011 11:12 PM EDT
By Amber Jenkins - email
Duke Energy announces on Monday that they will be closing one of their power plants by the New Year in 2015.

Duke Energy says they will be closing the W.C.Beckjord Station in New Richmond by January 1 of 2015. Duke Says that the 60-year-old plant has served many but the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to implement new environmental regulations that would require hundreds of millions of dollars to bring the plant into compliance.

Officials say they will continue operating all six coal-fired units at Beckjord until the anticipated 2015 closing date.

An estimated 120 employees work at the Beckjord Station. Duke Energy says that will work with the impacted workers and unions to determine other positions for employment.

The company plans to use the property for utility –related purposes in the future.

Local officials say that the plant closing will affect the Clermont County in many ways.

"We regret that Duke is unable to find another alternative rather than close the Beckjord Station," said Board of Clermont County Commissioners Vice President Bob Proud. "The economic impact of closing Beckjord will be significant. Clermont County will lose many jobs and will experience a substantial loss in property taxes. The effect of this closure will be felt countywide."

"Beckjord has been a great neighbor to the village," said New Richmond Mayor Ramona Carr. "Their closure is more than a financial impact in terms of tax revenue; they also represent jobs and impact other business in our community. While we are very disappointed in the closure, we understand that they have some tough decisions that they need to make due to the environmental laws."

What is the overall loss in real and property taxes to the community? "It will be significant," said Clermont Auditor's Office Chief Deputy Chuck Tilbury.

Tilsbury say he will meet with local schools, the village of New Richmond, and Pierce Township leaders to discuss the overall impact of the closure of the plant later this week.

Copyright 2011 FOX19. All Rights Reserved.

This is going to be a devastation for the tristate area in so many ways.

Duke won't be buying as much coal from KY. Big businesses that are here because of our cheap electricity rates will leave, people will loose their jobs, and you are going to have less in your wallet.

All because of the "Global Warming" Farce. And it's only going to get worse if we don't so something about it. New CAFE standards are going to make new vehicles crazy expensive.

[cobrajoe]

Dude, that's just the start. Trust me. These power plants up and down the river are all about the same age. It will be a domino effect. Miami Fort is shutting down some of theirs also.

[exrider416]

They are trying to go "green" with our coal boilers at UC. We have been testing wood chips for the past few months in our coal boilers. But only success is mixing it 50/50 with coal.

[5.0calypso93lx]

I heard about this a few weeks ago. I drive by it every day on the way home. Wonder how many of those 120 people lived in New Richmond?

[firestang70]

This is just another kick in the nuts for the fire department I work for. It is cutting out a big chunk of the budget.

[Dirtyd0g]

I think we have all known this is coming, before we know it we will not be able to power our homes. I am working on a minor solution that will get bigger as time goes on. LED light bulbs. Occasionally I find really good deals on them. They outlast normal bulbs 5:1 and use about 1/30th of the electricity. In the shop my electric bill is crazy because of flourescent lights and everybody asks me why it is always so dark in here. I am changing slowly to LED lights then I want to build a solar panel and battery system that does nothing but power my lights and maybe in time my computers. The hard part is finding reasonably priced solar panels that make 40+ watts.
With the amount of wattage I need for lights one 75watt panel will light this shop. Add a marine battery and a decent power inverter I should be able to light the place free. The thought of doing everything solar is great but the big stuff like heat,ac,lathes,welders and other stuff make it almost impossible.
My wife just found light bulbs comparable to 15watt that use .5 watts of power on "one sale a day" for dirt cheap. We bought 40 and I wish we had bought more.
Alan

[mwaller5672]

I have been at the fort for 32 years and yep. They are shutting down 1 unit here - 6 units at beckjord and aep's shutting down 5 units in lawrenceburg. All of these are being shut down because of obama's policy's. Supply and demand. 1500 megawatts of electric with no replacement. The days of cheap electric will be over in the next 4 oe 5 years unless we get obama out


,.

[Black92LX]

I think we have all known this is coming, before we know it we will not be able to power our homes. I am working on a minor solution that will get bigger as time goes on. LED light bulbs. Occasionally I find really good deals on them. They outlast normal bulbs 5:1 and use about 1/30th of the electricity. In the shop my electric bill is crazy because of flourescent lights and everybody asks me why it is always so dark in here. I am changing slowly to LED lights then I want to build a solar panel and battery system that does nothing but power my lights and maybe in time my computers. The hard part is finding reasonably priced solar panels that make 40+ watts.
With the amount of wattage I need for lights one 75watt panel will light this shop. Add a marine battery and a decent power inverter I should be able to light the place free. The thought of doing everything solar is great but the big stuff like heat,ac,lathes,welders and other stuff make it almost impossible.
My wife just found light bulbs comparable to 15watt that use .5 watts of power on "one sale a day" for dirt cheap. We bought 40 and I wish we had bought more.
Alan

I have been happy with my LED bulbs from www.ledwholesalers.com

They are quite a bit more costly, I use them for my exterior lights as they burn from dusk till dawn every day. So I get 2 months out of an incandescent If I am lucky. So at a buck a pop for the incandescent and $12
for the LED I will make up the cost in 1 year on the bulb alone. Not really sure on electricity usage but it is supposed to last for 10 years.
And making things even better LED bulbs DO NOT attract bugs. So I can sit on my porch with the light on and not be swarmed by bugs. Which is almost worth the 11 extra bucks for the bulb in and of it self.

The funny thing about solar panels is that the biproduct from their production is one of the most toxic substances on earth

Folks the EPA is going to destroy this country. We need to get on the horn and call our reps demanding they put restrictions on the EPA and it's power!!

[Dirtyd0g]

I have been happy with my LED bulbs from www.ledwholesalers.com


I'm happy with what I got because they were dirt cheap but I need something brighter for primary lighting and flood lights. Is there a particular bulb you prefer for a flood lamp?

[djom1cincy]

The government is really pissing me off lately. What do they think they are doing? Cars with the crazy mileage they are demanding, the cost of scrubbers demanded on power plants, no new nukes. They just think all of this will not cost the cash strapped consumers anything. The cost gets passed right onto us all. They then waste our hard earned tax dollars on Pakistan, Turkey, China, saving toads, lizards, flies and who knows what else. Borrow money from Tue red Chinese just to turn around and give them money to invest in a epa system like our fucked up system.

[cstreu1026]

I generally think the EPA has done a lot of good of the years. This country would be a waste land if it were not for things like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...I'd also be unemployed. However the push to make HUGE changes in very short amounts of time could have very serious repercussions for this country and our economy.

Did any else catch fuel efficiency stnadrards Obama announced this week for medium and heavy trucks?

[djom1cincy]

I caught the truck thing. He's more worried about that than the debt or economy.

[beefcake]

weren't they asking for like 50mpg, lmao.

really. thats what your worried about

[foxbody]

its all a joke. this is all supposed to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside bc the environment is healing with all these regulations. but i tell you what those regulations dont make feel warm and fuzzy. my wallet.

[Dirtyd0g]

I generally think the EPA has done a lot of good of the years. This country would be a waste land if it were not for things like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act...I'd also be unemployed. However the push to make HUGE changes in very short amounts of time could have very serious repercussions for this country and our economy.

Did any else catch fuel efficiency stnadrards Obama announced this week for medium and heavy trucks?

It has it's ups and downs but without it we would have destroyed half our land by now like China has done. I do think they waste time on some things they shouldn't and allow some things they shouldn't as well. Like any government organization they don't want to make the rich mad. Wealth should have nothing to do with it. They have made running a body shop on a small scale nearly impossible unless you fly below their radar.
Alan

[cstreu1026]

weren't they asking for like 50mpg, lmao.

really. thats what your worried about

It's 54.5 mpg buy 2025 now. The problem is that all the things they have forced automakers to put on cars like tire pressure monitoring and the soon to be require back up cameras have made cars not only more expensive but heavier. As a result manufacturers will either have to go to more exotic materials or find other ways to cut weight.


It has it's ups and downs but without it we would have destroyed half our land by now like China has done. I do think they waste time on some things they shouldn't and allow some things they shouldn't as well. Like any government organization they don't want to make the rich mad. Wealth should have nothing to do with it. They have made running a body shop on a small scale nearly impossible unless you fly below their radar.
Alan

Like most things in life its all about moderation. Too much regulation will destroy business but too little and the populus will suffer.

[cstreu1026]

Here' s more details on the new fuel efficiency requirements for heavy trucks.
http://bulktransporter.com/management/trends/obama-unveils-truck-fuel-efficiency-0810/

While it is a good thing the end result is that everything you buy will cost more.

[Black92LX]

Here' s more details on the new fuel efficiency requirements for heavy trucks.
http://bulktransporter.com/management/trends/obama-unveils-truck-fuel-efficiency-0810/

While it is a good thing the end result is that everything you buy will cost more.

I don't think it's a good thing at all. Let the markets dictate the standard. If I want a car that gets 9mpg and a company wants to sell me such vehicle they should be able to. If the market pushes for more fuel efficient vehicles and the businesses will respond then that is fine. No good will come from forcing the hand. It will do nothing more than make everything more expensive.

Just like when the government thought it was a grand idea to force financial institutions to give loans to people that had no business getting a loan. No we are stuck in this piss poor housing market and it is all to be blamed on the government.

They need to back up and let the markets work. Government does not create jobs, business's create job and all the government does is hinder business. Let business loose from ridiculous regulations and taxes. You will see the unemployment rate plummet because businesses will have money to spend.

[setty2706]

They need to back up and let the markets work. Government does not create jobs, business's create job and all the government does is hinder business. Let business loose from ridiculous regulations and taxes. You will see the unemployment rate plummet because businesses will have money to spend.

X2..
:bigthumb

There is a big misunderstanding on what it takes for job growth.. Dont cut and hurt the people that create jobs...

[cstreu1026]

The piss poor housing market is not entirely to blame on the government. There were pleanty of greedy real estate agents, mortgage bankers and brokers, consumers, appraisers, investors, etc. all had a hand in it. It wasn't right for the government to encourage unqualified buyers to purchase homes but everyone that could make money off it took that direction and ran with it until they couldn't run anymore. It does however prove that the road to hell is paved with good intentionas.

[foxbody]

X2..
:bigthumb

There is a big misunderstanding on what it takes for job growth.. Dont cut and hurt the people that create jobs...

X3
but the ppl wo create jobs are evil bc they have more money than any one person should have. lol. sarcasm. when ppl get the idea that success has to be punished by sharing with all its gonna be bad times. when you socialize society it is only a matter of time before there is nowhere for wealth to be taken from. then its off to a dictatorship. then we are all phucked :pump:

[blown86lx]

Well I just got my electric bill the other day $375 and we are never home.:flipoff:

[04 Venom]

I don't think it's a good thing at all. Let the markets dictate the standard. If I want a car that gets 9mpg and a company wants to sell me such vehicle they should be able to. If the market pushes for more fuel efficient vehicles and the businesses will respond then that is fine. No good will come from forcing the hand. It will do nothing more than make everything more expensive.

Just like when the government thought it was a grand idea to force financial institutions to give loans to people that had no business getting a loan. No we are stuck in this piss poor housing market and it is all to be blamed on the government.

They need to back up and let the markets work. Government does not create jobs, business's create job and all the government does is hinder business. Let business loose from ridiculous regulations and taxes. You will see the unemployment rate plummet because businesses will have money to spend.

The mileage standards were negotiated with and agreed to by the domestic automakers. Why would they do this? Perhaps they realize that they will sell more cars when they cost less to operate and the fact that foreign automakers are beginning to lose their edge in fuel efficient vehicles in the lower price segments.

[04 Venom]

The piss poor housing market is not entirely to blame on the government. There were pleanty of greedy real estate agents, mortgage bankers and brokers, consumers, appraisers, investors, etc. all had a hand in it. It wasn't right for the government to encourage unqualified buyers to purchase homes but everyone that could make money off it took that direction and ran with it until they couldn't run anymore. It does however prove that the road to hell is paved with good intentionas.

You got it right; Black92LX got it wrong.

[Rob]

The Beckjord power plant is a shit hole. it should have been closed already. its not effecient and is falling apart. All the epa nonsense aside.

[cstreu1026]

The Beckjord power plant is a shit hole. it should have been closed already. its not effecient and is falling apart. All the epa nonsense aside.

That may be the case but shutting it down with no plan to replace the lost capacity will definitely have an impact on your electric bills.

[Rob]

from what i hear that plant does not supply as much as you think any more. they have been cutting it back and distributing the load to other plants for a while to make simple trasition

[mwaller5672]

The Beckjord power plant is a shit hole. it should have been closed already. its not effecient and is falling apart. All the epa nonsense aside.

Your partly right. Units 5 and 6 are good dependable units and had another 20 yeard on them. I do testing on these units all the time and pretty much know. They had mothballed 1,2 and 3 last year anyway. Anything that supports 120 really good paying jobs and the schools isn't really a shit hole

[mwaller5672]

Actually they call for those units as much as they always have. I'm sure it will get less and less because they won't be putting any money in it.

[bestracing]

They need to back up and let the markets work. Government does not create jobs, business's create job and all the government does is hinder business. Let business loose from ridiculous regulations and taxes. You will see the unemployment rate plummet because businesses will have money to spend.
You watch 60 minute over the weekend? They were talking how the U.S. and Japan has the highest corporate tax rate in the world, 35%. Big business like Cisco, Google, & Oil companies are re-locating their "Main" headquarters to places like Ireland and other european countries to cut their tax debt because their share holders demand it. By doing this they were saying companies were paying rate like 8% to 15% in taxes! All because of a loophole for foreign based companies like Toyota to be able to do business here.

They were also counting in the labor force now displaced do to the move since the jobs are now over seas. People keep screaming BIG BUSINESS but guess what, the more we keep trying to tax them more the more business will go elsewhere to be competitive and we are left with the tax burden. We are closer and closer to a world wide economy and we are not just competing with another state for jobs anymore, we are competing against Asia, Africa, Europe, ect.

[bestracing]

The piss poor housing market is not entirely to blame on the government. There were pleanty of greedy real estate agents, mortgage bankers and brokers, consumers, appraisers, investors, etc. all had a hand in it. It wasn't right for the government to encourage unqualified buyers to purchase homes but everyone that could make money off it took that direction and ran with it until they couldn't run anymore. It does however prove that the road to hell is paved with good intentionas.


You got it right; Black92LX got it wrong.

Your wrong Venom and both cstreu1026 and Black92LX are both right in some ways. The Fed passed the laws for loans like 110% loan rates and stated income (meaning you tell them what you earn without proof). Now the banks have to offer these plans and MUST give out loans under these guidelines otherwise they can and will be charged with discriminatory lending. Now your damned if you do and damned if you don't. On the other hand....

There was also a lot of preditory lending, blown estimates, falsification of wages and employment going on as well. My wife was in the industry and you have to approve or disapprove by the guide lines set forth by the government. She caught quite a few bad deals, false papers ect. but she knew that some people were not as diligent in their paperwork either.

She got out before the market plunged because she couldn't stand working there any more.

[Rob]

Your partly right. Units 5 and 6 are good dependable units and had another 20 yeard on them. I do testing on these units all the time and pretty much know. They had mothballed 1,2 and 3 last year anyway. Anything that supports 120 really good paying jobs and the schools isn't really a shit hole

there are plently of run down places that support alot more than 120 jobs. trust me i wish they would keep it running and maintain it properly. i wish the jobs didnt go away along with the local support just like everything else these days . . .

[bestracing]

It's just easier to close down the coal plant and get rid of the EPA mess (it's not just emissions) and then open up a cheaper natural gas plant thus driving up our natural gas bill due to more demand.

[Black92LX]

You got it right; Black92LX got it wrong.

We're both right. I did not say that the government it solely to blame for the problem. But they are the ones that kicked the hornets nest.
The government needs to get out of the way it's that simple
The small family farm is soon going to become of a thing of the past as well. If the feds get their way and require Tractor operators to get a CDL.

[cstreu1026]

I wonder how they plan to enforce that regulation? How are they going to handle the testing? That will be really interesting to watch.

[BigBadStang]

...The small family farm is soon going to become of a thing of the past as well. If the feds get their way and require Tractor operators to get a CDL.
The EPA is also looking at ways to regulate how much dust a farm implement can create while working the fields.

The latest round of pollution controls (SCR Engines) on HD diesels added approximately $7,000 cost to a new truck, not to mention the added costs of DEF (diesel exhaust fluid).

The EPA is an over sized, out of control government agency with far too much power.

[bestracing]

Don't forget how they are trying to regulate rain water run off. It's all part of the clean water act and the farms in N. Ky produce over 80% of the bacterial waste run off and the Sanitation District has to figure out a way to control this from getting into the streams and rivers to meet EPA guide lines since they consider us a BIG city (all of SD's service area) even though we have farms contributing to the run off systems unlike a bunch of other big cities.

We are paying through huge rate increases every year for the next three years due to this and we are not the biggest contributors to this mess. I don't think the farmers should pay it all either but the EPA shouldn't be going after us like they are. Different situations require different means of control. This One plan fits all approach is just crazy.