If there’s one thing to say about your June 4 editorial, “Cleaner Power Plant Still Uses Fossil Fuels,” it’s that you ask the right questions. Following a concise description of the proposed “Danskammer Energy Center” at the site of the now closed Hudson River power plant, you cover the major claims of its owners. These include replacing some of the lost generating capacity posed by the scheduled closure of the 2,000-megawatt Indian Point nuclear power plant in April 2021, as well as the possibility of providing new funding for the Town of Newburgh and the Marlboro School District.
Where your editorial really shines is that you don’t limit your concerns to the obvious ones. Rather, you correctly point out that the new Danskammer proposal would still rely on burning fossil fuels to generate electricity. While referring to major pollution-related health problems caused by the Competitive Power Ventures gas-powered generating plant in the town of Wawayanda, you keep your eye on the bigger picture. That is, New York state, under Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has committed to moving to 50 percent renewable energy sources like hydro, wind and solar by 2030. At a time when the costs of wind and solar have plummeted, and the largest segment of employment growth is in wind and solar manufacturing and installation, now is the time to break with the past model of fossil-fuel powered electrical generation.
Anthony T. Straka
Wappingers Falls
Source: http://www.recordonline.com/opinion/20180614/letter-no-time-like-present-for-renewable-energy-sourcing
