No Fossil Fuels
There is nothing about converting the coal burning Cayuga power plant to burning gas that makes sense. The conversion is expensive and the $500 million in costs would be borne by NYSEG customers. The conversion is not really needed, if instead the State would authorize the upgrade of the power lines to achieve the needed service reliability.
But most distressing is the argument that this conversion would provide a clean alternative to burning coal and would reduce New York’s carbon dioxide emissions. Arguments claiming natural gas is a clean fuel are misguided. If greenhouse gas emissions are accounted for from not just the burning of the gas, but also its production and transportation, the life cycle emissions are comparable to those of coal. Further, there is nothing clean about the process of high-volume hydrofracking to obtain the gas. From the destruction of sand hills in Wisconsin to harvest silica, to the injection of cancer-causing chemicals into the ground which contaminate the groundwater, to the toxic fumes that are vented when the gas flows back, and the radioactive waste which must be disposed of, fracking leaves environmental destruction in its wake. Perhaps worst of all, over the critical next 20 years, the methane emissions from natural gas production are 100x more potent than carbon dioxide in causing greenhouse gas effects. PLEASE use the webform to the right to tell the Public Service Commission and Governor Cuomo that “natural” gas is not clean and will make global warming worse. Tell them that as a NYSEG customer, you want to invest in renewable energy and infrastructure improvements like improving the grid, that will efficiently distribute power where it is needed. NOTE: we've been told that the financial impact on rate-payers is the factor that is most influential with the Public Service Commission. You can say other things too - but please be sure to talk about the expense of the conversion and the cost to you, the NYSEG or National Grid customer. |
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