First Energy, county reach tentative deal

First Energy, county reach tentative deal

LISBON

First Energy Corp. and Columbiana County have reached a tentative agreement in which the Akron-based energy company would continue to fund the majority of the county’s Emergency Management Agency.

The county is required to have an emergency-response plan in place in the event of an accident at the nuclear power plant of a First Energy subsidiary in nearby Shippingport, Pa. First Energy has helped fund the agency for the past 30 years, but hard financial times recently had strapped Columbiana County, and First Energy agreed to fully fund the program.

The deal would require the commissioners to start contributing 2.5 percent toward the EMA, increasing by the same amount in 2015, with the understanding that the county would pay 10 percent by 2017.

Bel-Park merging with Park Ave. CVS

youngstown

Starting today, Bel-Park Pharmacy is merging with CVS at 311 Park Avenue in Youngstown. Any documentation, bill or invoices for Bel-Park can be sent to P.O. Box 3365, Youngstown, OH 44513.

Company intends to build pipeline

HOUSTON

A subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Cochin LLP has signed a letter of intent with Nova Chemicals Corp. to build a pipeline from Harrison County to another pipeline in Michigan.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LLP intends to develop the 210-mile pipeline to carry natural-gas liquids to Michigan and then to Ontario.

In all, the project would cost $300 million.

The development is pending Nova’s execution of a definitive agreement during a binding open season next year.

Brown blasts GOP over HCTC measure

washington

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, on Thursday condemned Senate Republicans for refusing to take up and pass legislation that would extend, for one year, the Health Coverage Tax Credit for Delphi salaried retirees and other affected workers.

“This action hurts the thousands of Delphi retirees who lost their pensions and benefits due to no fault of their own,” Brown said. “Extending the HCTC would have ensured that the loss of their benefits doesn’t mean the loss of their health coverage. But because the Tax Extenders Act of 2013 was blocked from passing with unanimous consent, many Ohioans and their families will be unnecessarily hurt.”

Without congressional action, the HCTC will expire at the end of the year.

The HCTC helps trade-affected workers, select groups of retirees, such as Delphi salaried retirees and their families, purchase private health coverage to replace the employer-sponsored coverage they lost.

Vindicator staff reports