The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 8, 2024 is slated to close by Dec. 31, 2025. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The large stack in the middle is part of a system of pollution controls that removes toxins from emissions at the TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 6, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 6, 2024. The wind turbines on the ridge behind the plant are partially owned by TransAlta. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

A view of the TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Water from retention ponds are used in the power making process at the TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Heavy machinery pushes coal to be fed into The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 8, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Piles of coal to be fed into The TransAlta Centralia Generation station. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 6, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Bob Guenther, president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Counties Labor Council points to the TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 6, 2024. Guenther worked as a machinist and foreman at the plant for 34 years. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Vance Robnett, a control room operator inside the control room of The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Inside the control room of The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 7, 2024. The clock on the screen, left, shows a countdown to when the plant will close. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Inside The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Inside The TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Bob Guenther, president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Counties Labor Council gives a tour of the former coal mine for the TransAlta Centralia Generation station on March 6, 2024. The mine, which closed in 2006, is undergoing reclamation.  (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Wind turbines partially owned by TransAlta line a ridge pictured on March 6, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Bob Guenther, president of the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Counties Labor Council, opens the gate to give a tour of the Industrial Park at TransAlta site on March 6, 2024. Australia-based Fortescue Future Industries is considering the site for a green hydrogen facility. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Hope Grange #155 in Winlock, Washington on March 5, 2024. The local utility company helped the grange replace a wood furnace with a heat pump using grant funding from TransAlta. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Mike Porter Jr. grange master at Hope Grange #155 in Winlock, Washington says a prayer before a potluck dinner on March 5, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

A wooden plaque hangs on the wall at Hope Grange #155 in Winlock, Washington on March 5, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Awards hang on the wall at Hope Grange #155 in Winlock, Washington on March 5, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The local utility company was able to use weatherization grant money to help Hope Grange #155 install new mini-splits. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The old wood furnace used to heat Hope Grange #155 in Winlock, Washington on March 5, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

A statue of Centralia’s founder George Washington, his wife, Mary Jane, in George Washington Park on March 6, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

A mural of Centralia’s founder George Washington and his dog in Centralia on March 6, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

A monument commemorating a campaign visit from President Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore in 1996. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Looking down Main Street in Centralia, Washington on March 7, 2024. Centralia got its name for being a central railroad hub in Washington state. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The Fox Theatre on Tower Avenue in Centralia, Washington on March 7, 2024. The theater got a weatherization grant from the Coal Transition Board to replace it’s 1930s furnace with a new and efficient heating and cooling system. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The Olympic Club in downtown Centralia, Washington on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The Fox Theatre on Tower Avenue in downtown Centralia, Washington pictured on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Centralia City Hall in Centralia, Washington (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Centralia College on March 7, 2024. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Southwest Washington Flexible Training Center at Centralia College on March 7, 2024. The center was funded by a grant from TransAlta. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

Inside The Juice Box in Centralia, Washington. The building used to be an Elks club and the owners received a grant from TransAlta to replace the roof and heating system.

A painting of an elk inside The Juice Box in Centralia, Washington. The building used to be an Elks club.

The Juice Box in Centralia, Washington hosts community events such as Adult Lego Night to build a sense of community in the town. (Jeremy Long – WITF)

The Juice Box in Centralia, Washington is housed in a former Elks Club. The previous club left many artifacts behind, like this ceremonial necklace. (Jeremy Long – WITF)