Danskammer has no place in clean-energy
Nick Page argues against allowing the construction of an expanded Danskammer fracked-gas power plant in the town of Newburgh.
In June, state lawmakers passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which is being called the most powerful climate-change legislation in the nation. The law’s impact will be felt everywhere in New York, and, right here in our community, we have an opportunity to see whether those who signed off on it truly intend to follow it: Will they allow for construction of an expanded Danskammer frackedgas power plant in the town of Newburgh?
The CLCPA has an ambitious agenda: a 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (measured against 1990 levels) and an 85 percent reduction by 2050. In achieving those goals, the law states New York “should prioritize the safety and health of disadvantaged communities.” What’s more, the bill dictates that 70 percent of electrical generation must come from renewable sources by 2030 and a full 100 percent of our electricity must be carbon-free by 2040. If the state really hopes to meet those goals, no new fossil fuel plants can be built.
The current, outdated “peaker” plant at the Danskammer site, which sits on the western shore of the Hudson River, runs less than 10 percent of the time. The expanded plant would run 60 to 90 percent of the time and, while housing more modern equipment, will be far more polluting.
The industry likes to call natural gas a “bridge fuel,” a stopgap measure until we get to 100 percent renewables. But on top of other harmful emissions, the methane that escapes during gas extraction and transportation traps 87 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. This fugitive methane makes natural gas a more environmentally harmful energy source than coal.
Danskammer claims the new plant is needed to replace the energy produced by Indian Point when the nuclear power plant in Westchester County goes offline in 2021. That is simply not true. The New York Independent Systems Operator’s 2019 Power Trends report shows that New York’s energy use has already started to decline and is projected to continue falling through 2030 (and almost surely beyond). This is due to remarkable progress in energy efficiency and ever-increasing adoption of “behind the meter” systems, such as home solar, that take pressure off of the grid.
Demand is likely to fall even more rapidly in the near future, thanks to transmission improvements that will allow significant renewable energy to flow from upstate. Previous research has concluded that, due to these circumstances, not only the Danskammer proposal but additional local gas plant projects CPV and Cricket Valley are functionally unnecessary. Instead, they are the product of artificially inflated ratepayer prices that have been set to incentivize plant investment through “capacity zone” pricing discrepancy. Consider that Indian Point’s reactors have gone offline multiple times in 2019 without notable interruptions of power delivery, and the artificiality of the need for new plants becomes apparent. And ratepayers will foot the bill.
Are a short-term increase in local tax dollars (until the CLCPA or other legislation forces closure of the young plant), a brief uptick in construction activity, and 30-odd postconstruction jobs worth the cost? Are we willing to dig into our pockets for this unnecessary fossil fuel infrastructure despite being painfully aware of the profound damage the industry is causing? Are our local political leaders courageous enough to apply the environmental action that they have supported state and nationwide toward the on-the-ground reality within their districts?
There can be a different future for Danskammer. The company has expressed interest in installing solar and battery storage at the Newburgh site. It could choose to focus on clean and green alternatives instead of fossil fuel, as is being done with the GlidePath project in the town of Ulster and the Cayuga plant in the Finger Lakes region, where a coal-powered plant is to be converted into a data center. A similarly innovative project locally could bring both tax revenue and more lasting jobs, while embracing our climate imperatives. That would be a proposal worth celebrating.
But if Danskammer continues to cynically push this unnecessary fossil fuel project, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and leaders throughout the state, must ensure this proposal does not go through. The CLCPA shows New York can lead in the fight against climate change while the Trump administration continues to lie in bed with the fossil fuel industry. Whether the state is serious about bringing about a sustainable future, or whether it will act like President Trump and work for the industry’s interests, remains to be seen.
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