The Clinton County Economic Partnership recently heard some good news — progress continues to be made on a new power plant in Renovo.

The power plant is expected to create 25 permanent jobs, and about 500 jobs during its construction. It will use natural gas to generate electricity, a cleaner technology than either oil or coal and will put an unused railyard in the Western Clinton County community back into use.

The project has cleared hurdles with Gov. Tom Wolf’s Department of Environmental Protection — an administration that in seven years has rarely, if ever, been accused of being in the gas industry’s pocket. It is also supported by Clinton County’s business community, whose members recognize that Renovo needs family-sustaining jobs.

The project also could well be one step in a march forward for Pennsylvania, a model for power plants in rural communities throughout the state that help transition the state power grid away from coal and oil while creating more jobs. It also will buy time for the nuclear industry, from which Pennsylvania receives much of its electricity, according to the Energy Information Administration. While nuclear power, like natural gas is cleaner with emissions than coal or oil, nuclear power also is heavily subsidized by government and also needs to resolve where its waste can be stored. Hopefully with more time these two persistent problems can be solved.

With any luck, the day will come when this wasn’t just good news for one abandoned railyard in Renovo, but good news for shuttered industrial sites around the state, for Pennsylvanians seeking better careers across the state and for environmentally minded Pennsylvanians looking for an alternative to coal until solar, wind, hydroelectric and nuclear power are more viable solutions for Pennsylvania.