Private Equity Owns America's Deadliest Coal Plant, And It's Affecting Your Air Quality | Bonus Episode

This is a special bonus episode of The Moment LIVE, made possible by Ground Crew by TED Countdown. The Gavin coal plant in Cheshire, Ohio is private equity backed, one of the largest coal plants in the United States, and according to a 2023 Sierra Club analysis, the deadliest coal plant in the country — responsible for over 200 deaths per year, with air quality impacts reaching as far as New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. Most people have never heard of it. Meredith and Rebecca break down what private equity actually is, how it ended up owning a coal plant in a town of 120 people, and why you are almost certainly being affected by the Gavin plant without knowing it. Then, Neil Waggoner, Beyond Coal campaign manager for the Sierra Club, joins to explain what happened to Cheshire after AEP bought the town for $20 million rather than address its pollution, what private equity's ownership means for the plant's future, the data centers now being proposed nearby, and what it would actually take to transition this community to clean energy. The Moment LIVE is hosted by⁠ Meredith Lynch⁠ and⁠ Rebecca Sananès⁠. New episodes stream LIVE Tuesday and Friday, available the next day where you get your podcasts. Subscribe so you never miss a moment. Follow The Moment LIVE YouTube Substack Instagram TikTok 00:00 Private Equity Owns America's Deadliest Coal Plant: A Special Bonus Episode of The Moment LIVE 02:08 What Is Private Equity? Leveraged Buyouts and the Cost-Cutting Playbook Explained 06:47 Private Equity in Healthcare: What Happened to Steward Health Care 11:36 Private Equity & Fossil Fuels: How the Gavin Coal Plant Got Here 16:52 Neil Waggoner Joins: Sierra Club on Cheshire, Ohio & the Gavin Plant 21:05 The History of Cheshire, Ohio: AEP Bought the Town for $20 Million 26:23 Coal Ash, Accountability & What the Community Is Living With 32:42 AI Data Centers Near Gavin & the Future of Energy in Ohio 37:45 Political Neglect, Ohio's Missing Lawmakers & Who's Fighting for Cheshire 42:21 What Needs to Happen Next: Final Thoughts on Gavin & Private Equity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices