My name is John Kochanowski . I am here speaking on behalf of construction 

IBEW Local Union 712 and its 450 members. I am here today because our 

members are concerned about the loss of their jobs due to the EPA's proposed 

Clean Power Plan. I will relate to my personal experiences about the economic 

opportunities provided by coal and nuclear plants to our members, residents, 

and businesses in the Beaver County and Tri-State areas over the past four 

decades. 

My oldest brother Patrick had graduated from Penn State University in 1975 

but the nation's economy was suffering from stagflation and the only 

opportunities for employment in his field were Alaska or Antarctica. Pat decided 

to broaden his search for employment and was able to land a job as an electrician 

with Penn Power at the newly constructed 3 unit coal fired power plant in 

Shippingport. My brother was able to live and raise his family here and worked his 

way into management at the plant about halfway through his career. Pat recently 

retired from First Energy, who now owns the plant, with over 3 and a half decades 

of service from a good middle class and community supporting job. 

I graduated high school in 1977 and having grown up on a farm decided I didn't 

want to go college but instead work at a vocation using my hands. The area steel 

industry started to show signs of stress in the Tri-State area so jobs weren't 

plentiful for my classmates and me. After 2 years of applying I was fortunate 

enough to be selected by the IBEW for entry into their four year apprentice 

program. My apprenticeship consisted of school training and working various jobs 

in steel mills, power plants, hospitals, and commercial jobs. I was finishing my 

apprenticeship in 1983 however the end for our area steel mill industry was in 

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had to scatter all across the country to find jobs and opportunites for work. My 

mom became concerned I may have to join them but fortunately construction of a 

second unit at Beaver Valley Power Station Nuclear power plant was underway. 

The work that followed over the next half decade allowed hundreds of my fellow 

local union members, building trades members and other residents of the region 
to help the local businesses and economy weather the economic void created 

from the rapidly declining steel industry. My mom, who last week celebrated her 

87'h birthday, would always thank God for the power plants allowing her sons and 

families to stay close to home. 

Work slowed in our county after the completion of the plant but from the late 

1980's through the late 1990's and into the current century my fellow members 

and I were able to find employment in Eastern Ohio, Northern West Virginia, and 

Western Pennsylvania due to outages and pollution control upgrades at coal fired 

power plants. Many Local 712 retired members enjoy a good retirement thanks to 

the many hours of work afforded to them. 

My neighbor of about 20 years, Dave Telesz, in the late 1980's had gotten a 

job with US Air like some other Beaver County residents did after the steel 

industry collapsed. Dave managed to survive numerous restructurings and 

bankruptcies by US Air over the years but then 9/11 hit the airline industry. 

Pittsburgh lost its status as a hub airport and Dave was soon to be laid off. Dave 

was fortunate enough to have an opportunity and landed a job at the First Energy 

coal fired plant in Shippingport and keep his family in the area. He is a member of 

utility IBEW Local Union 272. 

The rest of the economy in Beaver County has continued to decline with many 

businesses and plants closing with the more recent ones being Armstrong 

Industries and the Horsehead zinc plant where my Dad worked all his life. The 

local coal and nuclear plants have been a continuous pillar of economic support 

for the businesses and local economy for over 4 decades during this time of 

economic turmoil. 

I sit on a community advisory panel for businesses in the Route 18 corridor 

and the discussion recently from the chemical plants, trucking company, and 

other businesses has been their concern over power plants that have closed or 

are talking of closing in the region. They want to be sure they have access to 

plenty of power at a reasonable pricing structure so their plants can maintain 

competitiveness in the global economy in which they compete. 
I grew up within 6 miles of the coal and nuclear power plants and now live 

with my family within 2 miles, both places downwind of the sites 

Summarizing my comments, they are clearly about the vital economic 

opportunity that has been created by the area power plants for past and present 

generations. The Agency has an opportunity to tailor the rules of the proposed 

Clean Power Plan in a manner that is realistic and economically sustainable. I 

hope the Agency develops a well-crafted energy plan that keeps the present 

generation working and provides future generations economic opportunites by 

balancing the needs of working Americans, our economy and the environment. 

Thank you for allowing me to present my input today.