{"361481":{"#nid":"361481","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Last New Coal Plant in U.S.?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDean Alford, EE 76, never expected to become the face of a coal plant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA clean-cut businessman with snow-white hair and a matching mustache, he looks comfortable in a tailored suit with a pocket-square intricately styled into three points over his chest. Despite his manicured appearance, he has an easy presence and comfortable charm. His big smile and Southern accent that\u2019s equal parts folksy and sophisticated are a testament to his many years in politics.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs president and CEO of Allied Energy, Alford, EE 76, has acted as spokesman for a proposed coal plant in Georgia that has gained national attention amid sweeping new regulations on carbon emissions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2008, Allied, which develops energy projects for clients in North and Central America and the Caribbean, filed a permit to build a new, $2.1 billion, 850-megawatt coal plant on behalf of a corporation called Power 4 Georgians.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe coal-fired power plant\u2014known as Plant Washington\u2014is to be built in Washington County, just outside of Sandersville. Despite many road bumps and challenges, the project is still underway. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division recently granted the Plant Washington team an 18-month extension to of its existing state air quality permits. Alford says the extension gives the team time to determine how the project could be possibly impacted by the U.S. EPA\u2019s proposed new regulations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRight now we\u2019re full speed ahead,\u201d Alford says. \u201cIt very well could be the last coal plant built in this country for a very long time.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany doubt that Plant Washington will ever become a reality. The project has been held up for years by evolving air pollution regulations, and lengthy court challenges have slowed the project down.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe didn\u2019t believe there\u2019d be quite this much uncertainty, but we knew there\u2019d be some,\u201d Alford says. \u201cIt\u2019s been an interesting project.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gtalumnimag.com\/2014\/12\/the-last-new-coal-plant-in-america\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERead the full story from the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026nbsp;","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDean Alford, EE 76, goes against the grain to build a Georgia coal plant.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dean Alford, EE 76, goes against the grain to build a Georgia coal plant."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2015-01-07 10:52:37","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:46","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-01-07T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2015-01-07T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"361491":{"id":"361491","type":"image","title":"Dean Alford","body":null,"created":"1449245782","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:16:22","changed":"1475895096","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:51:36","alt":"Dean Alford","file":{"fid":"201570","name":"deanalford.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/deanalford_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/deanalford_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":41191,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/deanalford_0.jpg?itok=tQvRM9ji"}}},"media_ids":["361491"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/gtalumnimag.com\/","title":"Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine"}],"groups":[{"id":"1316","name":"Green Buzz"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"8271","name":"alumni magazine"},{"id":"4198","name":"coal"},{"id":"213","name":"energy"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"3517","name":"power"},{"id":"166890","name":"sustainability"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:roger.slavens@alumni.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ERoger Slavens\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Alumni Magazine\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}