CRESTVIEW HILLS — Kentucky's governor may put a statewide hold on new power plant permits.

        Kenton Countians working to block a recently-permitted Cinergy station say they'll try to get that unpopular proposal included in the moratorium.

        Gov. Paul Patton said Friday he is considering issuing a moratorium on new power plant applications. But offi cials in his office would not say whether that will include existing applications awaiting permits or just new applications.

        Rusty Cheuvront, a Patton spokesman, said the length of any moratorium hasn't been considered.

        “Because of the dramatic increase in applications for electric-generating facilities, the governor thought it was necessary to assess the fu ture impact on the environment and Kentucky's electric supply grid,” Mr. Cheuvront said.

        Ten applications for power plants are under review, said Mark York, spokesman for the Natural Resources Cabinet, but the Northern Kentucky site isn't one of them.

        It got a permit May 4.

        The $40 to $50 million station Cinergy plans to build at 3000 Erlanger-Crescent Springs Road would be 600 feet from the Baptist Village nursing home and 600 feet from the Kenton County Library.

        A citizens group said it will appeal the permit. A hearing is set for July 17.

        In addition, seven Kenton County city governments adopted resolutions opposing the plant: Covington, Erlanger, Fort Mitchell, Lakeside Park, Crestview Hills, Els mere and Edgewood. The cities cite concerns about noise, pollution and property value effects.

        Cinergy officials could not be reached for comment Sunday.

        Phil Taliaferro, a Covington attorney representing opponents of the plant, said if a moratorium is issued, he will try to get the Cinergy permit, now on appeal, included in the measure. Mr. Taliaferro, who lives in Erlanger, is donating his time to the group.

        Though the local group includes a grassroots citizens' organization, the governor's concern is not so much about this particular plant as it is about the statewide trend of new applications.

        Since October 1999, 12 applications for power plants in Kentucky were approved as companies seek to meet a growing national demand for electricity.

        In April, the Kentucky Resources Council called on Mr. Patton to declare a moratorium on new permits, arguing there was a lack of information about the cumulative impact of the facilities. And environmentalists also have complained about the potential for pollution and health risks from new, experimental power plants.

        “There's a desperate need for a complete environmental impact statement,” said Tom FitzGerald,director of the Kentucky Resources Council.

        “We need to look at additional standards for siting, so that a community can assess the impact of having a plant in its area.”

        Mr. FitzGerald said many of the plants recently approved or under review will provide power to other states and offer little economic benefit to Kentucky, which has low electricity costs relative to other states.

        Backers of the power projects point to the jobs they would create, including work for Kentucky miners in providing the fuel needed for plants that would be fired by coal.

        “Why have a moratorium on the future?” asked Hazard Mayor Bill Gorman, who supports new plants.

        “Do we want to be another California? ... I think the environmentalists have gone overboard. The technology is such that there's no problems with these plants.”

        Crestview Hills Republican state Rep. Jon Draud, who lives near the proposed plant site, is not so sure.

        He said he may file a bill as early as next week - to be taken up during the General Assembly session in January - that would require the Kentucky Public Service Commission have a say in the approval process of new plants.

        Currently, the only required permits come from Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet and from federal regulators. The PSC is the state's utility regulator.

        “I wrote the governor about eight weeks ago and asked him for a moratorium,” Mr. Draud said Sunday.

        “Now (the governor's) realized that that whole issue needs to be studied a lot more, even more than ours (in Erlanger),” he said.

        “They're not really sure about the electric grid system. There is some concern if they give all this electric grid system to power companies that they might sell it out of state and there might not be enough for Kentuckians,” Mr. Draud said.

        Mr. Patton announced in May he would appoint a state Energy Policy Advisory Board to help ensure the state doesn't face high energy costs and blackouts and to develop plans to use coal to help Kentucky thrive during national energy shortages. The board's 11 members have not yet been appointed.

        Mr. Patton also has asked general counsel Denis Fleming and Natural Resources Secretary James Bickford for a report on the advisability of a moratorium. He expects the report in a week to 10 days, Mr. Cheuvront said.

        George Siemens, a vice president at LG&E, which is seeking a permit for a 1,020-megawatt natural gas-fired power facility in Trimble County, said a moratorium could contribute to the beginnings of a well-thought-out energy policy for Kentucky.

        The Associated Press contributed.

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