Down River

By John Lipez

Shocked and Sad:
A nine-year effort to bring a positive economic jolt to Clinton County, specifically western Clinton County, came to a screeching halt a week ago when the Bechtel Corporation, obviously tired of the protracted slog to bring its natural-gas-to-electricity proposal to fruition, finally said, that’s enough.

That decision caught many in Clinton County off guard. There had been no indication from the project’s Reston, VA headquarters that it was time to say goodbye. In fact, local supporters were expressing some level of optimism that the Renovo Energy Center proposal would be successful in a late summer hearing before the state’s Environmental Hearing Board.

Then came the devastating news to so many across the county, as relayed to the state by REC counsel out of Pittsburgh:

Via Electronic Filing Honorable Bernard A. Labuskes Environmental Hearing Board Second Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building 400 Market Street PO Box 8457 Harrisburg, PA 17105-8457

RE: Clean Air Council, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future and Center for Biological Diversity v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Environmental Protection and Renovo Energy Center, LLC EHB Docket No. 2021-055-L (consolidated with 2022-101-L) Notice of Request to Cancel Plan Approval

Dear Judge Labuskes: I write on behalf of Renovo Energy Center LLC (“Renovo Energy”) to inform the Board that as of April 14, 2023, Renovo Energy has abandoned its plans for development of the Renovo Energy Center. As such, the sources authorized under Plan Approval 18-00033B, the Plan Approval at issue in the above-captioned appeals, will not be constructed. Renovo Energy has informed the Department and has requested that Plan Approval 18-00033B be cancelled. A copy of the letter notifying the Department of this development is attached to this letter.
Sincerely, John P. Englert

And just like that, the hopes and dreams for so many were gone, an opportunity lost for a town badly in need of something positive.

Down River had been on the bus on that summer day in 2014 when the Clinton County Economic Partnership transported bus occupants to the barren old railyard site on the northside of Renovo and first shared plans for the billion-dollar project. It wasn’t long after that REC principals hosted a jammed public session in the Western Clinton County rec center gym and explained in detail the opportunities and tax revenue it would provide the Renovo area; there was nothing negative heard from the attendees that night and very little opposition over the ensuing years until a couple years back when the Clean Air Council intervened, even without virtually any local opposition to the project.

And finally, faced with protracted future litigation and the expenditure of millions of dollars to this point, the Bechtel people said, ‘we’re done.’

It hit much of the Clinton County community hard. From Renovo Mayor Gene Bruno to the Clinton County Commissioners, many expressed disappointment at the news about the end of the effort to bring about a turn-around in Renovo’s fortunes.

Nine years is a long time, a lot of hard work for a lot of people. The disappointment was real, as expressed by Dave Harger, a key project supporter through his work with the Clinton County Economic Partnership; per his post on social media:

“Sad, 9 years of work, meetings, and progress gone by the Anti crowd, now we are left with a brownfield site with zero promises. I will and so will others continue to fight for something to save a town my grandfather and my father come from. It saddens me that now we may hold the cost of any cleanup that happens there and no tomorrow for what would have been a billion-dollar boom there. Good job Anti’s good job.”

Harger, the Partnership, Mayor Bruno and others have already pledged to renew the effort to attract a new tenant for the barren holdings on the borough’s north side. Meanwhile a good faith, nine-year attempt by so many to help revitalize western Clinton County has come to naught.

For the next effort let’s hope the locals won’t be subjected to un-ending gamesmanship from the Clean Air Council.