Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards is again requesting that residents here - and throughout Western New York - call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to support the future of the power plants in Dunkirk and Tonawanda owned by NRG Energy Inc.
"The (Environmental Protection Agency) at the national level has imposed new emission standards for electric generation plants that become mandatory in 2015," Edwards says in a commentary piece on our Opinion page. "The NRG plant in Dunkirk and Tonawanda in Niagara County invested over $200 million in pollution control systems to meet these restrictive conditions."
By reaching out to the governor and Silver, Edwards says a strong message will be sent to keep our tax dollars in Western New York - and not shipping them to New Jersey, which is the case with one of the plans.
"This deal has (New York Power Authority) entering into a multi-year contract to buy New Jersey power that has been generated in part from coal-fired plants in New Jersey that are not yet as environmentally friendly as our own NRG plant," Edwards said. "In addition, Governor Cuomo is considering having New York state invest billions in constructing a power line from Quebec to New York City. Again, both scenarios would bring power generated out of our State to New York City to satisfy the increasing need for electric in the city. We need NYPA to invest in our plants in Western New York, and the citizens of our state, as proposed by our Senator (Catharine) Young."
The complete letter is on Page A4.
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