PSC reapproves coal plant (Mississippi)

Shenanigans!

JACKSON — The Mississippi Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to give new approval for Mississippi Power Co.'s coal-fired power plant in Kemper County, pushing aside opponents' calls for a fresh look at the plant's finances.

The commission voted 2-1 to approve the $2.4 billion plant. Southern District Commissioner Leonard Bentz and Central District Commissioner Lynn Posey, both Republicans, voted for the plant. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, a Democrat, voted against it.

The PSC had to vote for the plant again after the state Supreme Court ruled last month that regulators didn't fully explain why they raised a cost cap from $2.4 billion to $2.88 billion. The Sierra Club, which opposes the plant, brought the lawsuit that led to that decision.
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"They did not reopen the record," Miller said. "The Public Service Commission, on a 2-1 vote, has chosen to ignore a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court. What they did today is not legal."

More: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120425/NEWS01/204250312/PSC-reapproves-coal-plant