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August 10, 2005 | Public meetings scheduled on proposed power plant
Contact : Nancy Southworth Upcoming meetings will be an opportunity for the public to provide input regarding Associated Electric Cooperative Inc.’s proposed power plant project. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is holding the scoping meetings to gather public input on the development of an Environmental Impact Statement for the project. RUS will hold four meetings in an open-house format followed by a discussion period: Aug. 22 at the T.J. Hall Community Center, 104 S. Main, Oregon, Mo.; Aug. 23 at the Missouri Electric Cooperatives Building, State Fair Grounds, 2503 W. 16th St., Sedalia, Mo.; Aug. 24 at the Knights of Columbus Building, 311 E. Patterson Ave., Salisbury, Mo.; and Aug. 25 at the Goppert Community Building, 201 S. Pine St., Norborne, Mo. Each meeting’s open house will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. with the discussion period from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. At the public meetings an Alternatives Report, which includes a Site Selection Study, Macro Corridor Study and Alternatives Study prepared by AECI on the coal-based project, will be available. The report is also available at public libraries in the area (see attached list) and on AECI’s Web site: www.aeci.org. In April, AECI announced plans to build a 660-megawatt coal-based power plant to meet growing electricity demand among its member-owners: six generation and transmission cooperatives that serve 51 local distribution cooperatives in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma. The proposed plant site is near Norborne, Mo., in Carroll County. The alternate site is near Big Lake, Mo., in Holt County. During the meetings, attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about AECI and the project and provide comments to RUS. RUS hosts public scoping meetings to invite any affected federal, state and local agencies and other interested persons to comment on the scope, alternatives and significant issues to be analyzed in-depth in the Environmental Impact Statement. Public participation is an integral component of the environmental review process for federal actions. Public participation will be especially important during the scoping phase of AECI’s proposal. This input will be used in preparing an Environmental Impact Statement. To learn more about the public meetings and the power plant project, visit AECI’s Web site, www.aeci.org. Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. is owned by and provides wholesale power to six regional and 51 local electric cooperative systems in Missouri, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Iowa that serve more than 800,000 customers. AECI’s mission is to provide an economical and reliable power supply and support services to its members with the vision of being the nation’s lowest-cost wholesale power supplier. AECI is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative. Released: 10 August 2005
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