In January 2016, Invenergy announced their intention to build a natgas-powered electric plant in Elizabeth Township, in Allegheny County (see Invenergy Eyes SWPA for Second Marcellus-Powered Electric Plant). Compared to Invenergy’s other PA plant now under construction in Jessup, PA (1,480 megawatts), the proposed Elizabeth plant is much smaller, at 550 megawatts. It would be built on a brownfield site near Pittsburgh. Even though the site is a former landfill where fly ash was dumped, making it unusable for just about any other purpose, a group of local residents would prefer to keep the site a contaminated dump rather than convert it to a beneficial use like generating electricity (see Invenergy Gets Pushback on Proposed Natgas Power Plant in SWPA). Such is the kooky world of antis. Unfortunately, the local antis enlisted the support of Elizabeth Township’s zoning board, which rejected the plan in June (see Elizabeth Twp Rejects Clean Invenergy Power Plant at Dump Site). So Invenergy sued the town in October (see Invenergy Sues Elizabeth Twp to Allow NatGas-Fired Electric Plant). Rather than drag out the lawsuit, causing Elizabeth taxpayers big money to defend a defenseless decision, Invenergy has offered an olive branch. Invenergy is proposing to locate the plant at a new, more rural location about 10 miles away. If Elizabeth Twp agrees to the plan, Invenergy will drop the lawsuit. The new location is a junk yard–so Invenergy is proposing to change locations from one kind of dump to another. Meanwhile, the residents who live near the first location will continue to live near a contaminated dump instead of a cleaned-up, clean-burning natural gas plant…
