NRG Power Plant in Dunkirk
DUNKIRK – A major rally will be taking place on Saturday in Dunkirk in an effort to show solidarity and support for saving the NRG Power Plant.
Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R,C,I-Chautauqua) is encouraging local residents to join him, Senator Cathy Young, union members, the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, and other concerned members for a PowerUPWNY rally, which will run from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Dunkirk City Pier.
NRG has proposed to invest about a half-a-billion dollars to convert the Dunkirk electric plant from a coal plant to a highly efficient state-of-the-art natural gas plant.
Goodell and other supporters claim the positive impacts on the local economy are tremendous. The project would create about 500 jobs and result in many long-term, high-paid jobs at the plant.
According to Goodell, the new plant would also be one of the most efficient electric plants in New York, would save electric customers millions of dollars a year, and would be environmentally friendly and clean.
However, members of the Sierra Club and other environmental groups are pushing for the project to not go forward, claiming that a natural gas burning power plant can have a negative impact on the environment, due to the extraction methods needed to get the gas to the power plant.
If the NRG project is not approved by the Public Service Commission, city and school taxes in the Dunkirk area could increase by more than 42 percent. For the average homeowner, this could raise property taxes by about $1,000 a year.
Additional information regarding PowerUpWNY and the NRG re-powering project can be found by visiting www.powerupwny.org.
Again, the rally will be from 11 to noon Saturday at the Pier in Dunkirk.
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