You can still register to speak at this event.  There are talking points below.  Even if you do not want to speak, do consider dialing in for one of the two sessions to show support of our new environmental law, CLCPTA.


The first public hearings for the proposed Danskammer Power Plant are scheduled for March 31st at 1 PM and 6 PM.  You must register by March 29 to speak at the hearings.

NYS passed the historic Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019 to move our state quickly off fossil fuels in recognition of the climate crisis this planet is facing. CLCPA will require 70% of our grid to be powered by renewable energy by 2030, and a carbon neutral grid by 2040.

Yet the application to build a new Danskammer fracked gas power plant in Newburgh was just determined to be complete and the clock has started to tick. We have ONE YEAR to stop this plant, which would increase greenhouse gas emissions 40 times the current plant and subject local residents to 25 times the air pollution. We should not be spending resources on building a plant that could only be used for perhaps 10 years when we could be directing those resources to building the renewable energy grid with battery storage we need to have.

The State’s Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment is holding online public hearings on the Danskammer proposal on March 31 at both 1 pm and 6 pm. You’ll need to register by March 29, 2021 by 5 pm to have the opportunity to be heard:

To register, click on the “register” button at the bottom of the 1 pm hearing webpage or the  6 pm hearing webpage. To join the hearing online visit webex  and click “Join a meeting.”

For the 1:00pm hearing
Event Number: 179 092 8137
Password: March31-1pm

For the 6:00pm hearing
Event Number: 179 962 6013
Password: March31-6pm

A PDF from the PSC describing how to attend the hearing and how to register to make a public statement is available here.

If you can’t attend the hearing, you can also submit official comments online, call the NYS DPS Opinion Line (1-800-335-2120), email the Secretary to the Siting Board, or mail your comments to the following address:

Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary
New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment
Three Empire State Plaza
Albany, New York 12223-1350

 

Short talking points:

·  We need NY to decisively state that the CLCPA means no new fossil fuel power plants – no Danskammer, and nothing else.

·  The proposed plant is in direct opposition to the CLCPA mandate of achieving a carbon-free electric grid by 2040.

·  In addition to increased CO2 emissions, the plant would emit over 25 times more health-damaging particulate matter and volatile organic compounds than the current plant because it will be operating far more often.

·  The proposed plant would violate environmental justice requirements of CLCPA by affecting primarily the City of Newburgh while the PILOT payments would go to the Town of Marlborough.

·  Unions think it means jobs for them, but the MOUs are not binding on using local workers

·  We don’t need Danskammer’s power because there is no projected shortage of power for the next decade.

·  We should instead be using resources to build renewable energy projects and battery storage.

You can find more detailed talking points at our Lower Hudson Group website at SierraLowerHudson.org, plus information about a training session on March 23, where you can learn how to give public testimony, share talking points, and hear from key leaders.

The Lower Hudson Valley already has two new fracked gas power plants (CPV and Cricket Valley). Help us stop another one along with the additional health and climate impacts it will bring!