Business: New Holiday Inn Express

Sevier County Fair: August 3-8

Paula Martin describes the new county fairgrounds, with construction still underway, and invites us to the 2009 County Fair. The fair’s theme, fittingly, will be “Under Construction.” For more info, visit www.seviercountyfair.net.

Richfield Fourth of July Celebration

Dr. Richard Barnett of the Richfield City Council welcomes everyone to Richfield’s annual Fourth of July Celebration!

Watch “Sevier News Now!”

Ideal Living Media has launched a television news program offering reports from newsmakers across Sevier County.

Be sure to tune in to channel 10 on CentraCom cable for Sevier News Now, along with other local programs, such as the Beatlemania live performance at Richfield City Park, “Get Fit Stay Fit,” an exercise program sponsored by Lifetime Fitness, local skating competitions at Richfield’s Lions Park, cooking shows, and other local programming.

Proposed coal-fired power plant dead

As reported here previously, the IPP 3 coal-fired power plant has run its legal course after IPP’s California owners/customers refused to support any further coal-fired power. The City of Los Angeles — formerly, the largest customer of the IPP power plant in Delta and a part owner — renounced its support for the addition to the current plant in 2007.

When Los Angeles pulled their billion+ dollars of support for the project, a round of lawsuits were filed from UAMPS, an association of smaller Utah cities and towns including Monroe, to force the coal-fired power plant to go forward.

The lawsuits, which observers gave little chance of succedding, were finally dismissed when a complex power purchase deal was completed, which effectively returned some investment funding to the Utah cities and towns. Los Angeles sold UAMPS an amount of electricity at below market rates. UAMPS was then able to re-sell the product to a third party at market rates. UAMPS finalized the sale on Monday, June 08, 2009.

“UAMPS is extremely satisfied with the resolution negotiated with IPA and the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power,” said Doug Hunter, UAMPS’ general manager. “The agreement will enable all UAMPS members who participated in the development of the IPP Unit 3 project to recoup their investments and move forward to explore other options.”

The City of Los Angeles is still on track to end any use of coal power over the next decade, switching over to renewable energy products, such as the $200 million wind power plant in Milford.

The death of IPP3 marks the 100th proposed coal plant cancelled from 150 plants originally planned in 2001 during the Bush Administration. Proponents of coal power frequently claim that opposition is an expected part of development of coal power plants, yet the number of cancelled coal projects suggests a sea-change underway for the power industry in the U.S.

The Utah Sierra Club had opposed air quality permits for the IPP3 plant, in several legal challenges which parallel its opposition to the NEVCO/Sevier Power proposed coal-fired power plant in nearby Sigurd.

“At the beginning of the coal rush in 2001, it seemed inevitable that as many as 150 new proposed coal plants would get built. Since then we’ve seen an incredible change in the way people, businesses and governments — like Los Angeles — are thinking about energy, figuring out how to generate and use it more cleanly and efficiently,” said Bruce Nilles, director of the organization’s Beyond Coal Campaign. “Coal is no longer a smart or cost-effective option.”

As time passes, the likelihood of the local NEVCO/Sevier Power coal-fired power plant project also seems increasingly remote. NEVCO/Sevier Power is believed to still have no buyer for the entire project — as originally planned — as well as no buyers for any electricity the plant would produce. It is also believed the project still does not have any financing to move forward. Legal challenges from Sevier Citizens for Clean Air and Water are continuing to be delayed in local courts, reportedly at NEVCO’s request.

Meanwhile, the Utah Supreme Court has yet to rule on complex legal challenges from the Utah Sierra Club and Sevier Citizens against air quality permits granted years ago by the Utah Division of Air Quality. Observers believe that the high court is likely to rule in favor of one or more of the several challenges filed — any of which could result in NEVCO/Sevier Power to have to restart the entire process.

Sevier News Now: Special Report: Richfield Main Street Improvements

In a special report, Richfield City Administrator, Woody Farnsworth, offers history and updates on the Main Street developments in Richfield, Utah.

Part 1 of 4.

Part 2 of 4.

Part 3 of 4.

Part 4 of 4.

Sevier News Now: Business: New Holiday Inn Express

A new Holiday Inn Express opens in Richfield, Utah.

Sevier News Now: Business: New AutoZone

An AutoZone opens in Richfield, Utah.

Sevier News Now: Richfield, Utah: 2009 Recreation & Parks Summer Programs

Summer 2009 programs from Richfield Recreation & Parks.

Sevier News Now: Richfield, Utah: Neighborhood Watch

Richfield City Police Chief Evans updates us on the new Neighborhood Watch program.

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