Residents call for skepticism regarding power plant
The Town Board is being asked to show the same skepticism about the lawfulness of the proposed GlidePath/ Lincoln Park power plant as it did regarding recent proposed solar energy projects.
At a board meeting Thursday, Laura Hartmann, chairwoman of the advocacy group Town of Ulster Citizens, noted board members have voiced concern that land-use regulations do not expressly permit some solar projects.
“There is a proposed moratorium on ground-mounted solar arrays that provide electricity to the grid because our town code does not have any regulations in place,” she said.
“There are also no regulations in our town code for fossil-fuelfired plants that generate electricity,” Hartmann said. “The [GlidePath] project would not be regulated by the [state] Public Service Commission because it is slated to be under 25 [megawatts]. Under these circumstances, GlidePath would not be subject to any regulation specific to their function.”
A request to have the town Zoning Board of Appeals review the GlidePath application, stating the plant should be considered a “utility company structure,” was rejected. A letter from board Chairman Geoffrey Ring stated the group was asking for an advisory opinion.
“Only decisions of the zoning enforcement official can be reviewed, whether that person is labeled the code enforcement officer, zoning officer or building inspector,” he wrote.
“The [zoning board] cannot overturn a decision of the town of Ulster Planning Board or the town of Ulster Town Board,” Ring wrote. “These two boards are not considered to be ‘zoning enforcement officials’ whose decisions can be reviewed by the [Zoning Board of Appeals]. Furthermore, the time period to appeal a de-
cision of the zoning enforcement official has long since expired.”
Glide Path has proposed constructing the plant on about 3 acres of a 122-acre project site off Frank Sottile Boulevard, extending from Miron Lane to state Route 32.
The company says the plant would only operate during periods of heavy electric demand anywhere in the state. Opponents says the company has made errors in its presentations, including information about the amount of emissions that would be released during operations.
Town resident Dan Furman said GlidePath has demonstrated its lack of expertise in operating the type of
plant that is being proposed.
“To refresh one’s memory, ... GlidePath underestimated their proposed power plant’s emissions by a considerable amount,” he said. “The actual emissions number was four times higher than their slide stated ... only to admit a few days later they were wrong.”
Furman chided town officials, saying they appear willing to accept information from GlidePath as true while rejecting concerns from residents and environmental groups.
“The town of Ulster Town Board, as lead agency, appears content with GlidePath’s fossil fuel expertise,” he said. “Further, they appear to fully accept GlidePath’s claim to be a legitimate utility company regarding building a fossil fuel, peaker power plant in the town of Ulster.”