FirstEnergy Corp sets goal to become carbon free by 2050

CLEVELAND (AP) - Ohio’s largest electric utility has established a goal to become carbon free by 2050.

The company said this week it will eventually close two coal-fired power plants in West Virginia, replace its truck fleet with electric and hybrid vehicles and build a large solar farm in West Virginia.

The announcement comes amid numerous state and local investigations into what authorities say was a $60 million bribery scheme to win a $1 billion legislative bailout for two aging nuclear plants it owned when the bill was approved in July 2019.

FirstEnergy Vice President Gary Benz calls the carbon-free initiative a “big step.”