CANTON – Texas-based energy generator Vistra announced today that they are closing several downstate Illinois coal-fired power plants, including the Duck Creek plant in Canton.

Assistant Majority Leader Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) represents Canton and issued the following statement:

“I am incredibly saddened by the announcement that Duck Creek will close. The hardships that the workers at this plant will endure cannot be understated. They are not statistics or lines on a balance sheet. They are human beings, and I stand committed to working with the governor’s administration in Springfield to bring much needed economic support to both their families and the rest of the Fulton County community.

“The fact is the current business market for coal-based energy is simply no longer sustainable. As we transition to an energy economy that focuses on limiting emissions, we must be proactive in helping those communities that this will adversely effect.”

The Duck Creek plant was opened in 1976 and employs around 60 people.