Union: Chancellor should reconsider power firm role
The union representing professors and other employees at the State University of New York on Wednesday said Chancellor Kristina Johnson should “reconsider her role” on the board of directors at AES Corp.
“The chancellor has been a proponent of renewable, clean power at SUNY, and she was quick to launch an effort to help the people of Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria,” United University Professions President Fred Kowal said in a prepared statement. “She even traveled there after the storm to help rebuild.”
Kowal’s remarks came after the Times Union wrote about Johnson’s board membership for AES, a Virginia-based international power company.
The firm operates a coal-fired power plant in Guayama, Puerto Rico, that has been criticized for its coal ash production. Environmentalists in Puerto Rico and the region’s former EPA administrator, Judith Enck, have warned that the ash contains toxic arsenic and other heavy metals that can be inhaled and can pollute groundwater. The company disagrees it has created problems.
For Johnson, that presents a stark contrast with her push to get SUNY to convert to renewable sources.
Johnson, along with SUNY students and UUP members, traveled to Puerto Rico in the wake of the hurricane to help with rebuilding efforts.
The controversy surrounding AES’ coal plant and Johnson’s board membership was first noted by the Public Accountability Initiative, a watchdog group that, among other things, documents relationships between decisions makers and people in positions of power.
She was paid $275,840 as a director of AES Corp. in 2017, according to Securities and Exchange Commission documents, and owns more than $2.5 million worth of company stock.
She also earns $560,000 as SUNY chancellor.
UUP belongs to New York Renews, a coalition of unions, faith, community and environmental organizations.
The union is also a member of the Bluegreen Alliance, a national coalition of labor and environmental organizations.