Coalition focuses on protecting Johnson Street Dam
ELKHART — The future of the Johnson Street Dam is uncertain.
A newly formed coalition of community members, elected officials and members of the St. Joseph River Association this week launched the Elkhart County Gives A Dam committee to focus on protecting the asset in Elkhart.
The Johnson Street Dam resides next to Johnson Street between Elkhart Avenue and Beardsley Avenue and controls the water flow from the Upper St. Joseph River to Mottville, Michigan, all the way to the Lower St. Joseph River into Mishawaka, where the nearest two St. Joseph River dams are located.
The original dam was built from logs around 1868, and eventually transformed into the modern day structure. The dam that stands today is over 100 years old, built in 1912.
'The dam provides so much for our community,' Elkhart County Commissioner Suzie Weirick said.
Energy-wise, the dam powers the equivalent of roughly 500 homes, which is not a lot, especially compared to the impact the dam has on roughly 1,000 parcels of land along the Upper St. Joseph River, in addition to dozens of tributaries that the water funnels through.
'There's bass fishing tournaments all the time, there's kayakers all the time, there's random people that put in tubes and flow down it in the summer. I paddle board on there,' Weirick said. 'There's ecosystems that have developed over the last 100 years.'
By law, companies that manage energy resources like the hydroelectric production plant that is part of the Johnson Street dam, must periodically apply for licensure through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to continue maintaining infrastructure.
Weirick said last summer AEP had a public meeting where they discussed the Johnson Street dam and licensure surrounding the property.
'They're really looking for any option, anywhere from a complete shutdown to a complete rejuvenation, and the 3,000 options in between,' Weirick said.
The company's license is set to expire in 2030, with a required decision on their intent to relicense due by late 2025. Weirick said, in trying to understand the process, she began looking into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
'I had no idea what I didn't know,' she said. 'I got concerned. I just wanted to make sure — trust, but verify — that Elkhart County still has the Johnson Street dam when all is said and done.'
Utilities companies in possession of dams are also required to maintain the dam.
'That is truly a financial burden on anybody,' she acknowledged. 'It's a very expensive system. It's a very old dam. This current dam is built on top of the riverbed, so it's not attached to the riverbed. … It is not driven into the bedrock below the riverbed. It's a very sandy bottom and sediment keeps coming up with every storm. … It's not something that is easy to maintain and keep safe; it requires a lot of attention and AEP has been doing that and will continue to do that as long as they have their license active.'
But for the people and communities that reside along the river, the dam is something that Weirick believes is instrumental to their quality of life.
'Our property values are based on that, our property purchase price has been based on that and there are so many public launches and public accesses, there are so many people that use the river — all of us, use it as a lake,' she said.
Weirick also noted that in addition to property values, changes in the river levels could also cause changes in property tax collection for the county, Elkhart and Bristol.
'It wouldn't function as a lake anymore,' Weirick said.
Changes to the dam could also allow potential flooding on the Lower St. Joseph River, specifically, near the Elkhart Aquatic Center. On the other hand, on the Upper St. Joseph River, the lack of dam would lower water levels to the point that it would no longer be a boat-able height.
'Think about all of the development on the riverbeds on either side, the Upper, the Lower, the east, the west, the north, the south, depending on where the river is curving, all of that property is impacted in value by the river, hence, the dam,' Weirick said.
Weirick said the committee is working closely with AEP to make sure they have information as soon as possible. The Elkhart County Commissioners have also all pledged support for the project, and local state and federal legislators are also aware.
'We're all trying to work together to make sure that this is the best solution for everybody involved, which is not easy,' Weirick said. 'It's kind of a monumental task to get everybody on the same page and in the same direction.'
Community members are encouraged to visit www.ElkhartCountyGivesADam.com to sign up for updates and share what the St. Joseph River means to them. Ongoing updates and community conversations can also be followed on the St. Joseph River Association's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sjrainc.
'All we have right now is a voice,' Weirick said. 'Elkhart County Gives a Dam and all the social media around that is to make sure that we inform people of the process, make sure that they know when to speak out … and make sure that people are engaged and informed because our voice needs to be heard. It's better to be at the table earlier than on the table for dinner.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
GOP megabill could undermine US energy production, Republicans warn
Republicans want to expand power production to shore up the grid and support the growth of data centers — but their own megabill risks doing the exact opposite. That's the message lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, industry executives and former Republican officials delivered on stage at the POLITICO Energy Summit on Tuesday. The reconciliation bill that passed the House last month seeks to gut clean energy tax credits enacted by Democrats in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, particularly for wind and solar — two of the fastest-growing sources on the grid. President Donald Trump has derided those subsidies as the 'Green New Scam,' and congressional Republicans have said the two technologies must stand on their own after decades of support. But the speedy sunset of the investment and production tax credits under the House bill would hurt companies that have made investments based on the IRA, several of the Summit speakers said. The House-passed bill is not 'fair to businesses in the way that we're phasing [the credits] out,' said Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis. 'Investors have invested billions of dollars based on the rules of the road, and you have employees who have set careers based on these things.' Energy companies have warned the bill could lead to the cancellation of hundreds of major electricity generation projects, just as the nation's utilities prepare for a surge in power demand from new AI data centers. John Ketchum, chair and CEO of NextEra, the nation's biggest owner of natural gas-fired power plants and the world's leading generator of electricity from wind and solar power, said he agrees with the Trump administration's declaration of an energy emergency — but warned renewables cannot be taken 'off the table.' 'We cannot afford to do that. If we do that, we will lose the AI race, and we will bring this economic expansion in the United States to a screeching halt,' Ketchum said. That's because a new fleet of natural gas power plants won't be ready until 2032, he added, and nuclear power will take even longer. And former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Neil Chatterjee, who served under the first Trump administration, said fossil fuels must be complemented by renewables and emerging technologies like geothermal and nuclear — as well as energy efficiency efforts. 'We can't possibly win the AI race and keep energy reliable and affordable with only fossil fuels,' Chatterjee said. 'We need every available electron.' But the backing for renewables drew pushback from Jarrod Agen, the executive director of Trump's newly created National Energy Dominance Council, who said he was 'very happy' with the bill the House produced. Wind and solar are 'intermittent' sources, he said, that 'can't stand on their own feet.' While the administration believes that nuclear energy will ultimately be the 'perfect source,' fossil fuels and coal are the most reliable and secure sources today, Agen said. Here are some other takeaways from Tuesday's event: Curtis, who has urged his Senate colleagues for months to preserve the IRA credits, specifically called for the bill to set a phase-out date for the clean energy tax credits based on when developers start construction of new projects, rather than on when a project begins producing electricity, as the House bill does. The House language discourages new investment because construction timelines are often uncertain, he said. 'Changing it to say something about the date [construction] started would be a really significant difference and not really hurt the intent of what Republicans are trying to do on this bill,' Curtis said. That echoed comments from Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who also urged changes to the bill's prohibition on foreign involvement in projects, which he said is 'completely unworkable in its current form.' Even Jennifer Granholm, who oversaw much of the growth spurred by the credits as the Biden administration's energy secretary, told the summit the bill could be 'workable' if the Senate fixes those two provisions, as well as restores rules that allow companies to buy and sell the tax credits. Former FERC leaders bemoaned President Donald Trump's treatment of the agency, with Chatterjee warning the moves could turn the independent regulator into the 'EPA,' which has whipsawed between administrations. Trump requested that former Democratic Chair Willie Phillips depart the commission, and last week declined to renominate current Republican Chair Mark Christie for a second term. His administration has moved to exert more power over other independent agencies as well. 'If the White House exerts control over the agency and they have to clear everything through OIRA and through OMB, then effectively the role of FERC chairman is no longer as head of an independent agency, it's basically a staff position,' Chatterjee told the audience. The energy world is still processing the falling-out between Trump and his former 'first buddy,' clean energy and electric vehicle entrepreneur Elon Musk. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) told the summit that Musk never brought up objections to the Republican megabill during a breakfast just hours after the House passed the measure. 'He talked about AI, he talked about all this stuff that [was] energy,' Guthrie said. 'Never mentioned the bill. And the bill had just been voted.' Granholm signaled that clean energy advocates could welcome Musk back into the fold, calling his electric vehicle company Tesla 'amazing' while noting the 'later part of his journey has been more challenging.' Pressed on Musk's support for clean energy, Agen, the White House official, said: 'The President is in charge.' Granholm acknowledged that Democrats should have done a better job on the campaign trail last year selling their vision of job creation from the clean energy transition. But the party going forward also needs to hone its messaging on 'keeping costs low by using the cheapest form of energy,' which is renewables, Granholm said. Heinrich, too, forecast that Republicans' fossil fuel push would drive up energy prices — and provide a political opening to Democrats. 'We're in a constrained supply environment and an increased demand environment,' he said. 'People's electricity bills all over the country are going to go up. What I can guarantee you is in the next election and the election after that Republicans are going to own increased energy prices.'
Politico
12 hours ago
- Politico
GOP megabill could undermine US energy production, Republicans warn
Republicans want to expand power production to shore up the grid and support the growth of data centers — but their own megabill risks doing the exact opposite. That's the message lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, industry executives and former Republican officials delivered on stage at the POLITICO Energy Summit on Tuesday. The reconciliation bill that passed the House last month seeks to gut clean energy tax credits enacted by Democrats in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, particularly for wind and solar — two of the fastest-growing sources on the grid. President Donald Trump has derided those subsidies as the 'Green New Scam,' and congressional Republicans have said the two technologies must stand on their own after decades of support. But the speedy sunset of the investment and production tax credits under the House bill would hurt companies that have made investments based on the IRA, several of the Summit speakers said. The House-passed bill is not 'fair to businesses in the way that we're phasing [the credits] out,' said Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis. 'Investors have invested billions of dollars based on the rules of the road, and you have employees who have set careers based on these things.' Energy companies have warned the bill could lead to the cancellation of hundreds of major electricity generation projects, just as the nation's utilities prepare for a surge in power demand from new AI data centers. John Ketchum, chair and CEO of NextEra, the nation's biggest owner of natural gas-fired power plants and the world's leading generator of electricity from wind and solar power, said he agrees with the Trump administration's declaration of an energy emergency — but warned renewables cannot be taken 'off the table.' 'We cannot afford to do that. If we do that, we will lose the AI race, and we will bring this economic expansion in the United States to a screeching halt,' Ketchum said. That's because a new fleet of natural gas power plants won't be ready until 2032, he added, and nuclear power will take even longer. And former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Neil Chatterjee, who served under the first Trump administration, said fossil fuels must be complemented by renewables and emerging technologies like geothermal and nuclear — as well as energy efficiency efforts. 'We can't possibly win the AI race and keep energy reliable and affordable with only fossil fuels,' Chatterjee said. 'We need every available electron.' But the backing for renewables drew pushback from Jarrod Agen, the executive director of Trump's newly created National Energy Dominance Council, who said he was 'very happy' with the bill the House produced. Wind and solar are 'intermittent' sources, he said, that 'can't stand on their own feet.' While the administration believes that nuclear energy will ultimately be the 'perfect source,' fossil fuels and coal are the most reliable and secure sources today, Agen said. Here are some other takeaways from Tuesday's event: Curtis, who has urged his Senate colleagues for months to preserve the IRA credits, specifically called for the bill to set a phase-out date for the clean energy tax credits based on when developers start construction of new projects, rather than on when a project begins producing electricity, as the House bill does. The House language discourages new investment because construction timelines are often uncertain, he said. 'Changing it to say something about the date [construction] started would be a really significant difference and not really hurt the intent of what Republicans are trying to do on this bill,' Curtis said. That echoed comments from Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, who also urged changes to the bill's prohibition on foreign involvement in projects, which he said is 'completely unworkable in its current form.' Even Jennifer Granholm, who oversaw much of the growth spurred by the credits as the Biden administration's energy secretary, told the summit the bill could be 'workable' if the Senate fixes those two provisions, as well as restores rules that allow companies to buy and sell the tax credits. Former FERC leaders bemoaned President Donald Trump's treatment of the agency, with Chatterjee warning the moves could turn the independent regulator into the 'EPA,' which has whipsawed between administrations. Trump requested that former Democratic Chair Willie Phillips depart the commission, and last week declined to renominate current Republican Chair Mark Christie for a second term. His administration has moved to exert more power over other independent agencies as well. 'If the White House exerts control over the agency and they have to clear everything through OIRA and through OMB, then effectively the role of FERC chairman is no longer as head of an independent agency, it's basically a staff position,' Chatterjee told the audience. The energy world is still processing the falling-out between Trump and his former 'first buddy,' clean energy and electric vehicle entrepreneur Elon Musk. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) told the summit that Musk never brought up objections to the Republican megabill during a breakfast just hours after the House passed the measure. 'He talked about AI, he talked about all this stuff that [was] energy,' Guthrie said. 'Never mentioned the bill. And the bill had just been voted.' Granholm signaled that clean energy advocates could welcome Musk back into the fold, calling his electric vehicle company Tesla 'amazing' while noting the 'later part of his journey has been more challenging.' Pressed on Musk's support for clean energy, Agen, the White House official, said: 'The President is in charge.' Granholm acknowledged that Democrats should have done a better job on the campaign trail last year selling their vision of job creation from the clean energy transition. But the party going forward also needs to hone its messaging on 'keeping costs low by using the cheapest form of energy,' which is renewables, Granholm said. Heinrich, too, forecast that Republicans' fossil fuel push would drive up energy prices — and provide a political opening to Democrats. 'We're in a constrained supply environment and an increased demand environment,' he said. 'People's electricity bills all over the country are going to go up. What I can guarantee you is in the next election and the election after that Republicans are going to own increased energy prices.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Why an Ohio ban on settlements to close ‘base load' power plants matters for clean energy
Aerial photograph of the OVEC-operated Kyger Creek Power Plant in Cheshire. (Getty Images.) This story was originally published by Canary Media. A decade ago, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, trade organizations, and companies found themselves in a regulatory standoff with American Electric Power over operating costs for six coal-fired power plants in Ohio. The utility's opponents objected to letting the company collect more money from customers to keep the unprofitable plants running, while the utility argued the charges were a hedge against even higher costs. Before state regulators made a decision, the utility and some of its opponents announced a compromise. As part of the deal, the Sierra Club would drop its opposition in exchange for AEP's commitment to add more solar and wind to its portfolio as well as move up its timeline for closing or converting several coal plants to natural gas. A Sierra Club representative at the time described it as 'nowhere near a perfect deal' but as one that would significantly reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the state's clean energy transition. Such compromises will now be prohibited in Ohio under a new state law that forbids settlements involving the closure of 'base load' power plants. Proponents of House Bill 15, signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in mid-May, say it will support the state's ever-growing power needs and promote competition within its energy sector. Yet critics are questioning the law's definition of 'base load' generating facilities: It only covers electricity sources that run primarily on nonrenewable fuels such as natural gas or nuclear. The definition excludes wind or solar power, even when combined with battery storage. Negotiating special deals in settlements has long been common in utility regulatory cases. Industry groups or companies have gotten discounts and other benefits in return for dropping opposition to utilities' added charges. Parties in court cases often settle before trial, too. For example, the same year that the Sierra Club reached a settlement with AEP, a trade group representing industrial customers negotiated a special rate with FirstEnergy's Ohio utilities in exchange for dropping opposition to a customer-funded bailout of that company's unprofitable coal and nuclear plants. (The secret terms of that agreement were part of a criminal case filed last year against Ohio's former chief utility regulator, Sam Randazzo. They also became part of a House Bill 6-related regulatory case on which regulators will finally hear evidence this month.) HB 15 will still allow settlements with special deals, as long as terms are part of the public record, there's no cash payment, and they do not close or limit 'base load' electricity-generating facilities. Neil Waggoner, who heads the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign for the Midwest region, suspects the provision is likely a backlash to the environmental group's 2015 settlement with AEP. That deal didn't end up delivering all of the expected clean energy benefits. State rules requiring wind turbines to be a certain distance from other properties ultimately made it impossible for AEP to add the planned 500 megawatts of wind generation, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio refused to allow the utility to charge customers the cost of building 400 MW of solar energy. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The 'base load' provisions weren't part of HB 15 as it originally passed the House, nor were they in the initial versions of the companion Senate bill, SB 2. The language appeared in a substitute version of SB 2 introduced on March 11, the same day that Ed Spiker, chair of the Ohio Coal Association, submitted written testimony pleading the state to enact 'guardrails to ensure current coal power plants are not forced to close.' The terms used in SB 2 included natural gas and nuclear in the definition of a 'base load electric generating facility' but not renewables. The Senate then added the provisions to HB 15 before passing it this spring. The law suggests Republicans' continuing willingness to prop up conventional power plants, even when their electricity may cost more than cleaner sources of power. 'How would you replace base load power generation, given the amount of megawatts that they produce that we certainly require?' Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, challenged one witness who spoke against nuclear power plants during a March 11 hearing held by the Senate Energy Committee. Yet electricity from coal and nuclear plants remains relatively expensive, compared to that from renewables or natural gas. Ashley Brown, a former state utility regulator, questioned the constitutionality of the new settlement restrictions. 'I don't know how they can tell somebody you can't shut down a plant,' he told Canary Media. Two weeks ago, the Trump administration ordered a retiring Michigan coal plant to stay open, although it's unclear whether the mandate will face a court challenge. Separately, regional grid operator PJM Interconnection has sometimes issued orders to keep power-generation facilities running to maintain grid reliability, as it did for former FirstEnergy coal plants. In that case, however, the company was paid to keep the plants open. Waggoner noted that HB 15's language only applies to settlements. Its terms wouldn't stop a company from closing an unprofitable plant on its own accord. HB 15 also finally revokes subsidies for two 1950s-era coal plants, which had been put in place by HB 6, the 2019 law at the heart of an ongoing public corruption scandal in Ohio. Yet Beth Nagusky, an adjunct law professor at Case Western Reserve University, wonders whether the provision preventing settlements that close 'base load' power plants is meant to lay the groundwork for new subsidies down the road for nuclear and coal plants, which might become involved in regulatory or judicial cases. 'I don't think that's even being hidden,' Waggoner said. Along the same lines, environmental groups have criticized laws from 2023 and 2024 that include natural gas and nuclear power in the state's definition of 'green energy.' As Waggoner sees it, utilities and policymakers who claim to be worried about maintaining enough 'base load' or 'dispatchable' electricity are concerned less about real reliability issues and more about minimizing the importance of renewable energy in the face of climate change, even when renewables are paired with storage. 'They're looking at how do you frame this argument so you're not just saying, 'We don't want renewables,'' Waggoner said. 'They're trying to find a way to justify what they want, as opposed to what the moment demands.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
