Good afternoon. My name is Matthew Hilliard, and I am 

presenting comments on behalf of State Representative Dave 

Reed. He represents the 62nd legislative district in Indiana 

County. He is also a member of the House Republican 

Leadership team, serving as the Majority Policy Chairman. 

Thank you for hosting this listening session as you begin the 

process of developing a new source performance standard 

program for greenhouse gas emissions from existing electric 

generating units.

Representative Reed’s district is home to the Homer City 

Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant. 

The importance of this power plant to both the power grid and 

the community cannot be overstated.

• At full load, its 1,884 Megawatts provide energy for 2 

Million households across the northeast. 

• It directly employs approximately 255 men and women 

from across the region. Indirectly, the power plant’s 

operations also support thousands of other jobs, including 

those at a nearby coal cleaning plant, coal truck drivers, 

and coal miners.

The downstream economic impacts are equally important. 

• The facility is responsible for the purchase of $395 million 

worth of local goods and services each year. That figure 

represents a significant amount of economic activity for 

the region.
The ongoing installation of a scrubber system underscores the 

importance of the Homer City Generating Station. With a cost 

of nearly $750 Million, the project demonstrates a long-term 

commitment to the environment, the needs of the power grid, 

and the local community.

We are here today because President Obama directed the EPA 

to develop a pollution control program to address greenhouse 

gas emissions from energy generating units. 

• In that order, the President recognized the importance of 

state leadership, flexibility, and promoting a wide range of 

energy sources.

While there may be disagreements on the overall goal 

encompassed in the president’s plan, these policy 

considerations are valid and should be incorporated into the 

EPA’s oversight and Pennsylvania’s implementation of any 

future program.

Under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, DEP is afforded great 

flexibility to devise a program that complies with the federal 

requirements, while crafting specific provisions that work best 

for the Commonwealth.

This listening session is critical to gather input on what the 

Commonwealth’s program should look like. I’d like to offer the 

following suggestions:
First, the future program should be constructed to ensure that 

Pennsylvania continues to have a diverse power supply, 

including coal-fired power plants. A diverse power supply can 

shield electricity consumers from disruptions and price spikes.

• This can be achieved by developing provisions that 

recognize the inherent differences between different kinds 

of electric generating units, including the difference 

between coal-fired power plants and natural gas-fired 

power plants.

Second, DEP’s plan should take into consideration all

reductions in greenhouse gases in Pennsylvania, including those 

from plant retirements.

Third, the state’s future plan should require reductions that are 

reasonably achievable at the plant level. This ensures that each 

power plant is able to manage its own compliance.

Fourth, the state’s plan should take into account both 

the economic and practical realities of electric generation. 

• This means that the plan should recognize the massive upfront investment that is required to build and operate a 

power plant. Recognizing that massive cost is important 

to preserve the attractiveness of Pennsylvania as a place 

to invest in power generation capacity.

• This also means that the state should establish reasonable 

compliance deadlines. This is particularly true, given the 

numerous new regulatory requirements confronting the 

power sector.
• Finally, it is imperative that the plan take all steps possible 

to minimize jobs losses, a consideration that is particularly 

critical to Indiana County, given the importance of the 

Homer City Generating Station to the local economy.

Thank you again for hosting this listening session and for 

offering me the opportunity to present comments on behalf of 

Representative Dave Reed.