Cleaner Air, but Fate of Laid-Off Workers Clouds Coal Plant Closing

State Line Power Station on the shore of Lake Michigan just across the Indiana border from Chicago was key to powering the once-legendary industries of Chicago, Gary and other Northwest Indiana towns.

The coal-fired plant, which opened in 1929, provided electricity for nearby steel mills, stock yards, refineries and countless other factories, businesses and residences. It also spurred commercial development as workers poured into local eateries and watering holes after their shifts.

The power plant also was central to the lives and careers of hundreds or even thousands of Chicago and Northwest Indiana residents over the years, including multiple generations of some families. But by the end of March the power plant will close, its Virginia-based parent company having decided that cheap natural gas and impending environmental regulations make it too expensive to run.

Now no one will notice the loss of electricity. There are plenty of other electricity sources to power the region, and State Line actually sells its electricity on a wholesale market that includes buyers as far east as New Jersey. But the closure will be devastating for many of the about 100 employees, about 80 of them members of the United Steelworkers Local 12502 and many of them with decades of service at the plant.