Rensselaer must stop waste-to-fuel facility

I want to thank Chris Churchill for keeping the Capital Region informed on this disturbing assault on the residents of Rensselaer (“How much garbage can this city take?” June 30) regarding the existing S.A. Dunn Landfill and the proposed Biohitech wasteto-fuel plant.

I am a volunteer with grassroots groups supporting the passage of Albany County Local Law B and the Assembly and Senate bills sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign banning the incineration of Pfas-laden firefighting foam in the city of Cohoes, closing the Dunn Landfill and stopping the build of the Rensselaer Engineered Fuels Facility.

These actions are needed to stop the health and environmental threats to Rensselear, surrounding communities and the Hudson River.

This proposed facility would convert garbage to fuel to be shipped to cement plants as a replacement for coal. The cement plant in closest proximity by barge across the Hudson River to this proposed Rensselaer plant is Lafarge-holcim in Ravena.

I hope reporting continues on environmental threats to our communities and the importance of the Albany County Legislature passing a veto-proof Local Law B. This law prevents the burning of toxic waste and other materials by multinational companies in Albany County that may be considering waste-to-fuel incineration. A public hearing is scheduled for July 28 with a vote on this bill on Aug. 10. We can’t wait for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Cuomo or other elected officials to step up. They have failed us all before.