Central Illinois communities convening on coal plant transition
Canton Daily Ledger
HAVANA—In the fall of 2019, the communities of Canton and Havana were hit with the shocking news that Vistra Corp. planned closing the local coal-fired power plants within three months. Community leaders were left to navigate the detrimental impacts to their tax base and workforce and they turned to each other to share ideas and resources.
This scenario is happening throughout Illinois. In the central Illinois region, Hennepin and Coffeen are experiencing similar challenges as Canton and Havana.
Since 2011, Illinois has experienced closures of over half of its coal plants.