Nuns: Kroger siding with polluter

Sister Carren Herring represents Nuns on the Bus Ohio.

In recent years it has become clear that, when it comes to energy, the choices we make have a great impact on the Earth and all of its inhabitants. In his encyclical, Pope Francis calls for us to become better stewards of “our common home” and to protect all who live on it.

“Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose,” he says. “None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”

We can choose to support cleaner energy sources, like wind and solar, and we can choose to find ways to conserve and use less electricity. All of these are steps we can take now to curb pollution and safeguard our air.

We can also choose to speak up when large corporations protect polluting, dirty energy for the sake of their profits – and seemingly admirable companies make deals with them on the side.

The Kroger Co., headquartered in Cincinnati, is the country’s largest supermarket chain by revenue and a well-respected company here in Ohio. Recently, Kroger has appeared to put sustainability at the forefront of its operations, releasing an annual report to measure and provide details of its initiatives including feeding the hungry, zero waste, and reducing water consumption. Kroger even received an Energy Management Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year.

While these efforts are worthy of applause, Kroger also has taken a step it is not publicizing.

Akron-based utility FirstEnergy is in the midst of hearings for its controversial electric security plan before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which would protect FirstEnergy by keeping alive old, dirty power plants that can no longer compete in the market on their own. Over the past year or so, FirstEnergy has tried to win opponents to its side by offering special deals that would benefit them, and it appears Kroger took the bait.

In early June, FirstEnergy added a provision to its proposal that would create “a special rate for applicable large commercial customers,” according to FirstEnergy spokesman Doug Colafella. Kroger, which most likely falls in that category, joined in signing this filing.

Kroger’s signature means support for a proposal that locks Ohioans into buying coal-fired, so-called dirty power for the next 15 years, when these power plants will be well past their prime. In addition to dirtying the air we breathe, doing so limits the use of cleaner sources that could be meeting the power demand.

Moreover, FirstEnergy’s proposal will result in higher electricity prices; it is estimated the proposal will cost Ohioans $3 billion over the next 15 years. Such high costs will especially hurt those who can least afford it. We should be protecting vulnerable communities, not making it difficult for them to keep the lights on.

By aligning itself with FirstEnergy, Kroger is sending a message that conflicts with its sustainability goals. If Kroger truly wants to improve the quality of people’s lives, Kroger it should not be siding with a big polluter that puts earnings over human health. As religious women, we ask Kroger to forgo this deal with FirstEnergy and stand instead for the sustainable principles it espouses.

We would like evidence from Kroger that they are not supporting FirstEnergy’s proposal that locks Ohioans into buying dirty power for the next 15 years and that they are not receiving a special rate.