NEWS, PRESS ADVISORIES, ACTIONS
Susie Ximenez
Tell New York State DON'T RAISE OUR RATES!

Join your neighbors and community organizations, including Citizens for Local Power, Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, Sane Energy Project, RUPCO, and Alliance for a Green Economy, at the online hearing on October 28, and tell the Public Service Commission why you object to the rate hikes.

Tell New York State DON'T RAISE OUR RATES!

FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE

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We won on Danskammer but it’s not over yet!

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Take Action

The Fight Against Danskammer is not over yet!

In October, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) denied an air quality permit for the planned expansion of the Danskammer fracked gas generating plant – a huge victory made possible by thousands of New Yorkers who turned out in force at hearings, wrote letters, and protested to make their opposition known. The Westchester County Legislature and the Newburgh City Council passed unanimous resolutions against the repowering; Orange County and the Cities of Beacon and Peekskill submitted comments opposing the project; and Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan rejected the proposed “outdated, dirty energy solution,” which would have replaced a “peaker plant” that runs a few days a year to meet spikes in electricity demand with the around-the-clock fracked gas-powered facility. 

Now the owners of the Danskammer plant, New York’s Tiger Capital Group, are trying again. They have appealed the DEC’s decision and requested a hearing, which will take place early next year. The hearing will include a trial-type process and a public comment period.

Stay tuned – or better yet, express your opposition NOW by contacting:

Michael Higgins, Project Manager, NYSDEC - Division of Environmental Permits, Bureau of Energy Project Management, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-1750,

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Letter to the Editor Regarding Danskammer - Repowering a Risk to NY's Climate Goals

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During the week of August 8, two reports came out with good news for opponents of repowering Danskammer – and bad news for all of us if the project is allowed to proceed with plans to provide baseload electricity by burning natural gas or, later, hydrogen. Based on new studies, neither of these methods will meet New York’s climate goals or help salvage our civilization in the face of accelerating climate change. Neither are they likely be profitable, meaning that once again ratepayers could get stuck with the bill. 

First, Standard & Poor released a report stating that “a review of markets with strong renewable mandates and carbon emissions pricing indicates much of the U.S. fleet of recently built natural gas generation could come under pressure…. Market Intelligence estimates that $34 billion in coal plant investment and another $34 billion in new gas plant construction could be at risk.” 

Second, an August 12 NYT article, headlined “For Many, Hydrogen Is the Fuel of the Future. New Research Raises Doubts,” reported on a new study showing that so-called “blue” hydrogen (hydrogen produced using natural gas with carbon capture and storage) would actually produce more greenhouse gases than burning fracked gas by itself. 

There are plenty of other reasons to oppose the repowering plan, including the extreme environmental damage to which the people of Newburgh have already been subjected through PFOS contamination. The new projections should convince the Public Service Commission, which has the final say on the project and is expected to rule soon, that the project is neither fair nor reasonable. The owners of the Danskammer plant – NYC-based Tiger Funds – would do well to head them as well. 

Susan H. Gillespie

President of the Board, Citizens for Local Power



2018 Annual Report

2018 Annual Report

With environmental protections being rolled back at the federal level, now more than ever it’s clear that lasting change needs to come from the ground up. Combining research, education, advocacy, and project coordination, CLP supports community and municipal engagement in energy decision-making, transforming energy policy and practice to strengthen local economies, mitigate climate change and increase resilience. Given the increasing pace of global warming, 2018 was a busy year for us.

GlidePath: Lincoln Park Grid Support Center Project

On August 10, CLP’s Evelyn Wright made a presentation to a packed pavilion at Robert Post Memorial Park in the Town of Ulster. Alongside Ulster County Executive Mike Hein and Scenic Hudson’s Hayley Carlock, she spoke to an audience of 150 about the dangers to the region posed by the proposed Glidepath Lincoln Park Grid Support Center gas power plant.

Summer 2018 Newsletter

Finally, summer! The last months have been a tough slog, but we have good news to report on several fronts: a victory in the Central Hudson rate case, movement on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), and a breakthrough in storage regulation. New threats include a planned “grid support project” that isn’t all it is cracked up to be, and needs to be opposed – indeed is being opposed by a strong coalition of Town of Ulster residents and environmental/energy activists.
 
Read the full newsletter here.

Contents:

  • Central Hudson Rate Case Victory Lowers Fixed Rates
  • Lincoln Park Grid Support Center Project
  • Ulster Green Business Challenge Lifts Off on June 27
  • Storage breakthrough on Federal and State Rules (could be a game-changer)
  • CCA (Working Group report, next steps to influence policy changes)