Folkways Reporter Zack Harold recently made a trip to the small town of New Vrindaban, in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. It’s a Hare Krishna community started in the late 60s. These days, the town is home to a few hundred permanent residents, but thousands of pilgrims visit each year. They come to worship in the temple — and to visit the opulent Palace of Gold. But those main attractions were a pretty small part of Zack’s trip. He ended up spending much of his time in the kitchen.
In both lawsuits, Appalachian Power alleges that ACNR failed to deliver more than one million tons of coal to three power plants in West Virginia in 2021 and 2022.
The John Amos, Mountaineer and Mitchell plants were idled for prolonged periods late last year amid the shortfall. Some of the outages were for routine maintenance and repair, the company testified.
Without the plants running, Appalachian Power had to purchase electricity from the PJM market to meet customer needs, but at high prices. PJM is a regional electricity market that includes West Virginia and 12 other states. Coal and natural gas prices have been high since last year.
Residents, local governments and industrial users have uniformly opposed the proposal. The average residential user would pay $18 more a month if the PSC approves the request.
On Tuesday, 17 members of Charleston’s City Council filed a letter with the PSC in opposition.
The New York lawsuit doesn’t specify a damage amount. It says the coal supply problems have persisted into 2022.
West Virginia Week looks at the start of the 2025 West Virginia legislative session -- beginning with Gov. Patrick Morrisey's State of the State address.