The Cayuga Power Plant: A Case for its Permanent Retirement and a Just Transition for Lansing
Transcript of The Cayuga Power Plant: A Case for its Permanent Retirement and a Just Transition for Lansing
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The Cayuga Power Plant:
A Case for its Permanent Retirement and a Just
Transition for Lansing
A Report by the Finger Lakes Action Network
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Table Of Contents
The Cayuga Power Plant and Repowering Proposal 3The Finger Lakes Action Networks Stance 6
Quotes from Individuals, Organizations and Businesses 8
The Toxic Legacy of Coal 12
No to Fracked Gas! No to Fracking! 14
A Just Transition offof Fossil Fuels 16
Who will be affected? 19
What Next? 20
About the Finger Lakes Action Network 21
Contact 21
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The Cayuga Power Plant and Repowering Proposal
The coal fired Cayuga Power Plant (formerly Millikan Station/AES Cayuga)
sits on the edge of Cayuga Lake in Lansing, just 10 miles north of Ithaca, and
burns dirty coal with two coal-fired turbine units. It is currently owned byUpstate New York Power Producers. They are currently seeking to transition
the plant from coal to fracked gas to replace the small amount of energy the
plant produces.
The plant has a toxic legacy in Tompkins County since the facility was first
opened in 1955. According to the Clean Air Task Force, around 7 deaths a
year in Tompkins County can be aributed to fine particle pollution from the
plant.1 There are also a number of cases of asthma a year that can be linked
to the plant, as well as the harder to measure eff
ects of toxic chemicalsreleased by the plant. EPA reports show that over the past 12 quarters the
Plant has spent 3 quarters in non-compliance with the Clean Air Act, and 10
quarters in non-compliance with the CleanWater Act.2 It has also shown up
on a recently leaked secret government watch list as a high-priority violator
for at least the last 98 months.3 The Plants coal ash dump has also been
seeping toxins into ground water, a type of contamination which is not
currently regulated by the EPA or the DEC.4
Since 2007, the plant has been struggling to stay open due to the lowwholesale price of energy. To remain open, the plant first negotiated a Pay in
Lieu of Taxes program with the Tompkins County Industrial Development
Agency in which they only payed taxes for 70% of their assessed value.5
However, this aempt failed to solve their economic woes and in 2011 the
plant declared bankruptcy. At this point, the AES Corporation offloaded their
company to their bondholders who formed a new company, Upstate New
York Power Producers. However, Upstate New York Power Producers found
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1 hp://www.catf.us/fossil/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=New_York
2 hp://www.epa-echo.gov/cgi-bin/get1cReport.cgi?tool=echo&IDNumber=3610900001
3 hp://www.npr.org/series/142000896/poisoned-places-toxic-air-neglected-communities
4 hp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf
5 hp://www.ithaca.com/news/lansing/article_af5b2218-6482-11e1-a1e9-001871e3ce6c.html
http://www.epa-echo.gov/cgi-bin/get1cReport.cgi?tool=echo&IDNumber=3610900001http://www.catf.us/fossil/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=New_Yorkhttp://www.ithaca.com/news/lansing/article_af5b2218-6482-11e1-a1e9-001871e3ce6c.htmlhttp://www.ithaca.com/news/lansing/article_af5b2218-6482-11e1-a1e9-001871e3ce6c.htmlhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://www.epa-echo.gov/cgi-bin/get1cReport.cgi?tool=echo&IDNumber=3610900001http://www.epa-echo.gov/cgi-bin/get1cReport.cgi?tool=echo&IDNumber=3610900001http://www.catf.us/fossil/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=New_Yorkhttp://www.catf.us/fossil/problems/power_plants/existing/map.php?state=New_York -
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that the plant remained insolvent and in July 2012 they announced plans to
retire the coal-plant, a procedure known as mothballing.
In January 2013, the Department of Public Services directed National Grid
and NYSEG to work with Cayuga Operating Company, LLC (owned byUpstate New York Power Producers) to look into re-powering the plant6. On
March 26th, the Cayuga Operating Company submied a 191 page re-
powering proposal in which they proposed four possible re-powering
options, the most expensive of which has an estimated cost of 370 million
dollars. All options involved somehow converting the plant to run on toxic
fracked gas. This conversion would be paid for price hikes for ratepayers, a
funding strategy that disproportionately effects lower income people and
subsequently people of color. Alternatives for the plant such as pump-
storage hydropower, solar and wind were not considered, even though such
alternatives could provide an excellent opportunity for Lansing to have
long-term, safe, local jobs.
While the Department of Public Service has received several positive
evaluations of the repowering plan, the most significant comments so far
have been in opposition. The Sierra Club, Earth Justice, Environmental
Advocates and The Business Council of New York, Inc. submied a
comment in opposition to the plan criticizing the narrow scope of theproposal and calling for the Department of Public Service to investigate
alternatives to repowering the plant with natural gas. Their comment
favored Non-Transmission Alternatives (NTAs) such as energy efficiency,
clean distributed generation, improved transmission system capabilities,
performance and efficiency or demand response over what they deemed to
be a costly and inefficient repowering to be paid for by ratepayers.
New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG), one of the utility
companies tasked with evaluating the repowering proposal, also submied a
report to the Department of Public Service in opposition. They pointed out
that the Repowering proposal is based on a series of assumptions about
uncertain future variables including the price of natural gas, the number of
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6 These documents can be found at the Department of Public Services site by searching the case #12-E-0577
http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=12-e-0577http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=12-e-0577http://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterCaseNo=12-e-0577 -
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hours that the repowered generators would be called upon to run, the
forward looking price of electricity and capacity, construction and
permiing uncertainties, financing risk and other variables. In that report,
NYSEG supported the much cheaper electrical grid transmission
reinforcements and upgrades instead of repowering. Following this report,the Sierra Club has decided to support NYSEGs recommendation for
transmission upgrades. Below is a statement issued to the Finger Lakes
Action Network by the Sierra Club:
The New York Department of Public Service is currently deciding whether to
approve a costly conversion of the Cayuga coal plant from dirty coal to dirty gas
or to replace the small amount of power actually needed from the plant with
cleaner and cheaper transmission upgrades. Because such a tiny amount of power
is actually needed, The Sierra Club urged the Public Service Commission to
investigate other solutions including energy efficiency, renewable power and
reducing energy demand when it is high. There are cleaner and cheaper optionsthat would beer serve New Yorks businesses and families who will foot the bill
for the changes.It is poor policy and bad business to require New Yorks families and businesses to
pay for uneconomical, dirty power plants which are unnecessary and whose
continued operation is inconsistent with New Yorks vision of a low-carbonenergy future. Remaining stuck in New Yorks dirty energy past will burdenbillpayers, deter investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and
cause more pollution.
As it stands now, the Department of Public Services is accepting public
comments until July 27th, a time-frame which the Finger Lakes Action
Network believes is woefully inadequate as many rate-payers to be effected
by the proposal are only learning of it now. According to their rushed
timeline, the Department of Public Service is expected to make a decision on
the plant by the third quarter of 2013. We urge you to oppose the repowering
plan.
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The Finger Lakes Action Networks Stance
The Finger Lakes Action Network, along with numerous other concerned
community members and organizations, is strongly opposed to converting
the plant to run on dirty fracked gas or its continued operation as a plantthat burns toxic coal. There are alternatives to fossil fuels, and now is the
time for a just transition, which means local, renewable energy andfair-
paying, safe,permanentjobs Here are our main reasons:
-The plants entire 58 year history of burning coal is a toxic one, relying on
the destructive mining of coal, leading to air and groundwater
contamination which have resulted in disease and death.
-Fracking, the procedure by which the gas is produced, is an industrial
process which contaminates the land, air and water. Supporting a plantthat burns this type of fuel means condemning countless people and
ecosystems to these disastrous environmental and public health effects.
-Burning fracked gas, when taking into account the cradle-to-grave
greenhouse gas emissions, has a similar effect on the climate as coal. In this
era ofcatastrophic climate change, we need strong leadership away from a
fossil fuel economy, not massive investments in it.
-Spending over a third of a billion dollars on fossil-fuel infrastructure is
incredibly unwise and does not abide by The New York State EnergyHighway Blueprint.
-The economic viability of the plant is based on expectations of continued
low prices for natural gas. In their filing with the Department of Public
Service, NYSEG pointed out that this assumption is not one that can be
made and that Natural Gas Market is more volatile than the plant expects.
Furthermore,low price estimates of natural gas arebased on theassumption of continued fracking throughout the Marcellus Shale,
including eventually in New York.
-The plant calls for an 18 mile pipeline to be built to connect to the
Dominion pipeline in Freeville, an invasive piece of industrial
infrastructure which puts communities at risk of deadly explosions. Such
a pipeline project will meet serious resistance including blockades, work
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stoppages and other forms ofcivil disobedience and direct action from both
anti-fracking activists as well as impacted land owners.
-Numerous credible alternatives to fossil-fuels have not been considered
in this repowering proposal, an oversight which creates a false choice
between accepting the fracked gas conversion or significantly impactingLansings tax base. We believe that options likeWind, Solar, Pump Hydro-
Storage and Energy Efficiency all would create longterm, safe, local jobs
and not damage the tax base.
-Rate hikes disproportionately effect lower-income people. Due to a long
history of social and economic injustice, this means the funding of the plant
would also disproportionately effect indigenous people and communities
of color.
-The existing coal plant and the proposed conversion to fracked gas both
constitute a violation of Two Row Wampum Treaty. Now is the time to
reverse the history of broken native treaties and genocide which hangs
heavily over the heads of all selers on stolen Cayuga Land.
-Fracked Gas Power Plants are dangerous for workers. In 2010, a fracked
gas power plant in Connecticut exploded killing 5 people and injuring 50
more.We demand safe, clean, renewable local jobs.
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Quotes from Individuals, Organizations and Businesses
"Investing 370 million dollars in a facility that would burn fracked gas is an investment in
ruin and devastation. Rather than swapping one climate-killing fossil fuel for another, we
could insist that the antiquated, coal-burning Cayuga Power Plant is transformed
entirely, becoming an emblem of a renewable energy future rather than yet another
incursion of the predatory natural gas industry into our beloved Finger Lakes. In fact, we
do so insist."
- Sandra SteingraberProminent science writer, activist and
founder of New Yorkers Against Fracking
"Lansing needs to look not at its own economic sustainability, but also at its impact on the
health of the planet. Coal is a dirty and unsustainable fossil fuel. Converting the Lansing
plant to natural gas, however, will not only be an expensive and short-term solution, itwill play a role in adding to carbon emissions and promoting the use of hydrofracking for
natural gas in our region. We need invest our local resources and visions in long-term
sustainable solutions, not continuing on the same unsustainable, environmentally
destructive treadmill."
- Karen EdelsteinLongtime Lansing Resident
"Any new natural gas facility, like the proposed repowering of the Cayuga Power Plant,
will damage health and climate by a factor of 60-150 per unit energy generated incomparison with a new wind, water, or solar facility. The repowered plant will be in place
for 30-40 years, so new natural gas plants will cause the damage for this period of time.
In addition, natural gas and coal require continuous mining of fuel, thus result in
damaging mining operations that will continue for decades. Because the fossil fuels are in
limited supply, their costs will rise over time. Wind, water, and solar technologies rely on
free fuel, thereby resulting in price stability over the long term. In sum, wind, water, and
solar technologies will eliminate harmful emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants
and stabilize prices while producing jobs. Natural gas and coal will continue to cause
human mortality and climate damage while resulting in unstable future prices."
- Mark Z. JacobsenStanford University Professor
and lead author of article demonstrating the feasibility of
converting New York to run on Wind, Water and Sunlight
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Our society needs to transition away from fossil fuels to carbon-neutral energy sources
within the next generation. In light of this goal, does it make sense to invest in long-lasting
infrastructure that substitutes one polluting, climate-warming fuel for another? The
answer in my mind is clearly no. There is a beer path. Investments in efficiency,
renewable energy, and a modern grid can allow us to take old power plants offline
permanently while meeting our energy needs, creating local jobs, and protecting our
climate, air and water for our children.
- Jon HarrodPresident of Snug Planet LLC.
One of Tompkins Countys Leading Energy Efficiency Businesses
In Kentucky, where I lived for many years, many towns are beholden to coal companies
for jobs and school funding, and in return must live with environmental destruction and
economic stagnation. We do not want fossil-fuel funding dependency to dictate our future
here in Tompkins County. The Cayuga Lake Watershed Networks 2012 position on gasdrilling and fracking states that shale gas dependency and development would forestall
the growth of the renewable energy sector that offers to bolster our economic vitality and
curtail greenhouse gas emissions. We support an energy policy that promotes
conservation and renewable energy sources.
Protecting our clean water resources is part of that policy. A worrisome legacy at the
AES/Cayuga site is their coal waste landfill. A recent report by EarthJustice found
Contaminated leachate and runoff from an onsite coal combustion waste landfill
discharged directly from a pond into Cayuga Lake. The contaminated discharge
contained grossly elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium and selenium. In addition, apartially unlined landfill contaminated groundwater and residential wells with elevated
levels of lead. Prior to any decisions being made about future uses of the Cayuga Power
Plant property, this problem must be fully assessed and mitigated so that it does not
further impact Cayuga Lake.
-Hilary LambertSteward and Executive director of
the Cayuga Lake WaterShed Network7
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7Full text of CLWN Position Statement on Hydraulic Hydrofracturing: hp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/
clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdf
EarthJustice Fact Sheet, 2012, New York Coal Ash Disposal in Ponds and Landfills: hp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdf
http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdfhttp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdfhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/ny-coal-ash-factsheet0512.pdfhttp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdfhttp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdfhttp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdfhttp://www.cayugalake.org/files/all/clwn_position_statement_on_hydraulic_hydrofracturing_may_2012.pdf -
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"We cant afford to sink more money into dirty energy of the past. The potential
retirement of the Cayuga coal plants is an opportunity to invest in a healthier future for
our kids that we cant miss out on. Upstate New York has tremendous potential for clean,
renewable energy like wind, solar and efficiency that together could cut energy demand,
lower electricity prices, create jobs, spur manufacturing, and clean up the air we all
breathe.
- Jennifer TuleRepresentative of the Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal Campaign
Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSE) propose that public policy
decisions, like the proposal to repower the Cayuga Power Plant with natural gas, should
be based on the best available scientific evidence. A large proportion of the natural gas
used in the Cayuga Power Plant is likely to be developed using high volume hydraulic
fracturing (HVHF) of tight shale formations particularly the Marcellus Shale. Scientificevidence increasingly supports concerns that HVHF and the shale gas production process
hold negative consequences for efforts aimed to mitigate climate change and protect
human health. Lifecycle analyses of the climate dimensions (i.e., fugitive methane
emissions) of HVHF initially modeled and more recently measured directly in the field
demonstrate that over a 20-year time period HVHF may not enable us to reduce GHG
emissions sufficiently to avert dangerous climate change feedback loops and may actually
cause more warming than coal and oil.
Scientific studies have also identified environmental sources of emissions in the shale gas
development process that may expose humans to toxins, endocrine disrupting chemicals,and other compounds through exposure to contaminated air, water, soil and food. A
growing number of public health studies are currently underway to understand the
relationship between the environmental pollution from shale gas development and human
disease. In light of the well-understood climate and health concerns and the clear
information gaps that continue to persist, PSE suggests that decisions to repower the
Cayuga Power Plant with natural gas should be put on hold until the climate and human
health science is clarified. Additionally, PSE supports a full economic and environmental
feasibility analysis of renewable energy technology alternatives.
- Physicians Scientists and Engineers for Healthy EnergyPosition Statement on the Repowering Proposal
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We oppose the repowering of the Cayuga Plant with natural gas and recommends the
immediate commitments of governments and public and private institutions to switching
to renewable sources of energy for our communities. To say that renewable energy is not
feasible denies the facts. The technology is here. The economic benefits in jobs and returns
on investment are far greater than for natural gas and other fossil fuels. The global
circumstances make it imperative that we drastically curtail greenhouse gas emissions. Its
a maer of societal will. The people are ready. Its time for our governing institutions to
lead. Lets go solar - NOW.
- Statement From The Dryden Resource Awareness Council,Energy Independence Carolina and the Danby Energy Group
(Full statement available at: bit.ly/18KXXWN )
There is only one solution for the civil society to stay intact and provide safety and
security for our children and grandchildren and possibly their and our survival. Thatpath is to stop extracting and burning fossil fuels of all types now.
The concerns of protecting the corporate economy and local tax base pale in comparison
to the larger issue we face as a community, a nation, and a species. We must stop ourusage of fossil fuels now. Recognizing humans cannot exist without managing some
energy, there is no requirement that we must use corporate controlled energy. We canand must consume much less energy and switch to renewable energy sources.And withthat switch to renewables, we will retain wealth right here in our community. Thatretained wealth will be the basis for a sustainable, buy local economy and stable tax base.There is a beer path. We must not let this Cayuga Lake power plant burn any more fossil
fuel.
- Don BarberSupervisor for the Town of Caroline
"The Two Row Wampum agreement reminds us that we must respect the laws of nature if
we are to live in peace. We are already seeing the effects of ignoring this wisdom.Fracking, and any use of fracked gas such as repurposing a coal plant, is a bridge to
nowhere when it comes to the climate."
- Lindsay SpeerTwo Row Wampum Renewal Campaign
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The Toxic Legacy of Coal Coal fired plants, like the Cayuga Power Plant, are among the dirtiest
power plants in existence. The burning coal damages the environment,
community health, agriculture and ultimately contributes tocatastrophic climate change.
EPAreports show that over the past 12 quarters the Plant has spent 3
quarters in non-compliance with the Clean Air Act, and 10 quartersin non-compliance with the Clean Water Act.
According to the Clean Air Task Force, the Cayuga Power Plant isresponsible for 5 deaths, 9 heart aacks and 78 asthma aacks a
year.
A 2012 report by Earth Justice found Contaminated leachate and
runoff from an onsite coal combustion waste landfill dischargeddirectly from a pond into Cayuga Lake. The contaminated discharge
contained grossly elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium andselenium. In addition, a partially unlined landfill contaminated
groundwater and residential wells with elevated levels of lead.
EPA reports show that over the past 12 quarters this coal fired plant has
spent 3 quarters in non-compliance with the Clean Air Act, and 10quarters in non-compliance with the Clean Water Act.
According to the the EPAs Toxic Release Index [TRI], which quantitates
the total aggregate release of chemicals, in 2011 the Cayuga Power Plant
emied over 218,594 pounds of toxic emissions through burning coal.
This coal fired plant receives 900,000 tons of coal every year. This coal is
mined in Northern Appalachia through underground mines and open-pit
mountain top removal.
Coal fired plants, like this one, contribute to the ongoing practice of
Mountain top removal or MTR. The dangerous process of MTR includes
clear-cuing large swaths of pristine forests, permanently destroying
ecosystems, and the complete destruction and removal of mountain tops
using high powered explosives.
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MTR also contaminates the drinking water, air, farms, and land of
thousands of families in Appalachia. MTR contributes to increased
cancers, diseases, illnesses and overall quality of life for our friends,
families, and neighbors in Appalachia.
In addition to a slew of toxic chemicals including lead, ammonia, anddioxin compounds, the TRI reports that the coal-fired plant mostly emits:
vanadium compounds: exposure causes permanent health
problems and death. Although the EPA is still in the process of
updating vanadium to be classified as a carcinogen, all vanadium
compounds are carcinogenic, meaning they are known to cause
cancer in humans.
manganese compounds: in drinking water are associated with
increased intellectual impairment and reduced intelligence
quotients in school-age children. Chronic low dose exposure to
manganese has been linked to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease, and multiple sclerosis.
barium compounds: affects the nervous system, causing cardiac
irregularities, tremors, weakness, anxiety, dyspnea and paralysis.
hydrochloric acid: is highly corrosive irritant with the potential to
damage respiratory organs, eyes, skin, and intestines irreversibly.
sulfuric acid: is considered an industrial hazard and is the lead
component of acid rain.
acid rain: causes pneumonia, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and
permanent lung damage. Acid rain also extremely dangerous to
ecosystems dissolving the nutrients that trees and plants need to
be healthy and, particularly here in the northeast, contaminates
lakes and streams. This is deadly to wildlife and aquatic life that
are essential for maintaining stability in the ecosystem of theCayuga Basin bioregion.
Because prevailing winds in the Ithaca area come from North-Northwest,
toxic emissions from the coal fired plant travel over and through the city
of Ithaca on most days.
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No to Fracked Gas! No to Fracking!
Switching the Cayuga Power Plant from toxic coal to toxic fracked gas
depends on the assumption that the price of fracked gas will remain stable.
In order for that price to remain stable the industry must be able tocontinue to frack the Marcellus Shale, the land formation that we live on
and depend on for our sustenance, and therefore survival. Here are some of
the many reasons that the Finger Lakes Action Network opposes the
conversion of the facility to run on fracked gas:
Switching the Cayuga Power Plant from toxic coal to toxic fracked gas
will increase demand and means increased presence of industrial
facilities and infrastructure such as pipelines and compressor stations.
The plant calls for an 18 mile pipeline to be built to connect to the Dominion
pipeline in Freeville, an invasive piece of industrial infrastructure. Beyond
the small but present risk ofdeadly explosions, this pipeline would disrupt
homes, farms and communities and further necessitate larger, more
environmentally dangerous pipelines (some of which are already being
planned and are proposed to cut through several counties in our
immediate area).
Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of Fracked Gas have been shown
by scientific models to be equivalent or worse for the climate than coal.
Any rhetoric about the plant being safer for the climate is industry
propaganda that does not take into account the science.
Our neighbors, friends, and family in Pennsylvania will see the
continued disruption of their ability and right to have a healthy
environment to live in as well as the ongoing poisoning of their
communities, farms, and childrendue to an increase in demand for dirtyfracked gas from the Marcellus Shale formation.
Prices for gas are not stable. This means that even if the repowering is
approved, the longtime financial viability of the plant is not guaranteed
but based on the unpredictable fluctuations of the gas market.
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Fracked Gas still produces nitrogen oxides when burned, contributing to
smog, acid rain and the associated environmental and health hazards.
Gas power plants pose serious safety risks and similar plants haveexploded, killing workers and injuring nearby residents.
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A Just Transition offof Fossil Fuels
Now is the time to transition offof dirty fossil fuels. The fossil fuel industry
is responsible for extreme environmental degradation, catastrophic climate
change, and increased cancers, disease, illness, and threat from dangerousindustrial sites to both wildlife and people. The fossil fuel industry and fossil
fuel consumption is perpetuating genocide against the indigenous peoples of
this world. Fossil fuels are running out, the industry is now using more and
more dangerous and expensive forms of extraction including fracking and
tar sands extraction.
We have dug ourselves into a deep hole where we are dependent on the very
corporations which poison our communities and causing irreparable
damage to the climate. Luckily, there are alternatives to fossil fuels, and nowis the time for a just transition, which means local, renewable energy and
fair-paying, safe, permanent jobs. We demand that viable alternatives to
fossil fuels like Wind, Sun, Hydro-Storage and Energy Efficiency are
explored and that Lansing is not forced to choose between community
health and funding for basic social services. The Finger Lakes Action
Network believes the social and environmental costs of alternative options
must be examined before any action is taken and offers the following
alternatives not to endorse any specific plan but in order to further
conversation by showing the broad swath of options that have not been
considered so far:
Sun
Even in cloudy Tompkins County, sun is a powerful source of energy.
NYSERDA recently released financial incentives for large solar arrays. Due
to the power plants pre-existing grid connection, such a solar array at the
former Plant site would be a wise move for Lansing and Tompkins county.
Furthermore, smaller distributed solar is being installed in hundreds ofhouses across Tompkins County every year, providing clean, distributed
renewable energy.
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WindAlready, Tompkins County has seen support for wind energy, with the Black
Oak Wind Farm, a 12.6 mega-wa community owned, locally managed wind
farm in Enfield, New York expected to be operational in early 2014. Suchprojects could be explored in Lansing and elsewhere in Tompkins County
providing safe jobs and a long-term source of renewable energy .
Pumped Hydro-StorageLocal Engineer Milton Taam has proposed the innovative idea of converting
the Cayuga Power Plant to a Pumped Hydro-Storage Plant.8 This would
entail building a 1/2 sq. mi, 20 deep reservoir 700 feet above Power Plant
to store 4000 mwh of energy. The former Cayuga coal plant would host thegenerator and pump turbines.. The facility would buy electricity, particularly
off-peak renewably generated electricity, when demand and price is low to
pump water to the reservoir and release water to generate electricity when
demand and price is high.
The facility would be capable of 300 mw, 12 hours of daily electricity
production, equal to the peak output of the current coal-fired generators. The
proposal would allow for Cayuga Operating Company to transition to a next
generation power facility using its current assets of location and grid
connection while benefiing from broad community support. Pumped hydro
storage is the only proven, low-cost technology for utility-scale storage of
electrical energy, a crucial part of balancing the electrical load of intermient
renewables.
Energy EfficiencyEfficient use of our current energy sources has always been an important
step towards a transition off fossil fuels. In our daily lives and on an
institution level, there are many opportunities for using less fossil fuels toachieve the same results. In Tompkins County, NYSERDA has financial
incentives to make your home more insulated against the cold and the heat.
These energy efficiency upgrades create a bounty of green jobs and
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8 hps://docs.google.com/document/d/1waeTUkdyBSUlFnb-qZgvFEgbFtx2XgxJChMGtXHnd0E/edit
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businesses like Snug Planet are able to give many workers safe jobs and a
living wage. Even landfills can be a source of efficiency: methane is
harvested from the Freshkill landfill on Staten Island. While more efficient
use of fossil fuels will not solve our addiction to fossil fuels, they can be a
useful first step towards environmental justice and to reduce the power ofextraction corporations that endanger our lives and communities.
Transmission UpgradesBoth the Sierra Club and NYSEG have recommended to the Department of
Public Service that instead of repowering the plant, simple upgrades are
made to the electrical grid such as upgrading and adding new transmission
lines. This would allow Tompkins County to continue to be able to
consistently meet its energy demand with a much lower cost and make iteasier to add renewables (like Wind and Sun) to the grid.
Power DownThe energy required to maintain the massive infrastructure and high levels
of production, consumption, and waste in the United States is simply
unsustainable. The problems were increasingly facing arent just about what
energy source is used, but how its used, and how much. Mass-scale
industrial facilities (the type necessary in order to fuel current levels of
consumption) will always pose threats to communities, workers, and the
environment. The U.S. American mentality of hyper-consumption has to
change. To build strong, resilient local communities, we need to support
small-scale, sustainable infrastructure. This means powering down--simply
using less, and using what we do have in different ways. The planet was
never meant to support the levels of consumption many people in the
United States have come to consider normal. If we want to ensure the
survival of future generations, that paradigm needs to shi.
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Who will be affected?
Switching the Cayuga Power Plant from toxic coal to toxic fracked gas
means all customers in this area who receive their energy from CPP (about
95% of people in Ithaca proper) will be forced to pay for the increase inexpenses through unfair rate hikes in a time when so many are already
struggling. Lower income folks will be disproportionately affected by non-
consensual rate hikes. Due to histories of economic and social injustice his
also means that indigenous people and people of color will also
disproportionately affected.
Land owners along the 18-mile pipeline from Freeville will have their land
seized via eminent domain to put in an invasive and dangerous piece of
industrial infrastructure.
2013marks the 400th year anniversary of the Two Row Wampumbelt, the
first treaty between the indigenous peoples of this continent and European
colonists. The Haudenosaunee, comprised of Six Nations: the Cayuga,
Seneca, Tuscarora, Mohawk, Oneida, and Onondaga, are the indigenous
peoples whose land we now live on. The Haudenosaunee have increasingly
emphasized that ecological stewardship is a fundamental prerequisite for
honoring this treaty. Allowing the continued and increased industrialpresence as the combustion of coal andfracked gas blatantly violates the
Two Row Wampum treaty.
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What Next?
There are many ways to oppose this repowering project and advocate for a
just transition for Lansing offof fossil fuels.
You can submit your comments to the Department of Public Services until
July 27th, 2013. Search google for case number 12-E-0577.
If you are a legislator, you can pass resolutions opposing the repowering,
submit comments to the Department of Public Services or try and work with
Upstate New York Power Producers to investigate viable alternatives.
Whatever happens, Finger Lakes Action Network will remain resolutely
opposed to the repowering. This means that if the project is approved, therewill be sustained civil disobedience and direct action by citizens who cannot
in their good conscience let this project move forward.
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About the Finger Lakes Action Network
The Finger Lakes Action Network is an open collective of community members
organizing to defend the Finger Lakes region and its inhabitants from extractive
industry, corporate power, and state/military repression.
We strive to promote and support local solidarity networks and resistance to all
forms of institutionalized oppression and systematic violence.
Find us on Facebook! hps://www.facebook.com/FingerLakesActionNetwork
Our Anti-Oppression FrameworkWhile working together we will strive to cultivate an anti-oppressive and anti-
hierarchical framework. We understand that oppressive behavior is normalized and
internalized by our broader society. We acknowledge that the institutional, economic,political, social, and cultural dynamics of hierarchy, power, and privilege that define
mainstream society also permeate social and environmental justice organizing.
Combating these behaviors is an ongoing and difficult process.Anti-oppression and ourwork as grassroots organizers are very much intertwined. We strive to change
oppressive power dynamics within our society and are commied to being accountable
towards each other against any sexist, racist, classist, ableist, patriarchal, etc. behavior.
We recognize the importance of integrating an anti-oppression into this organizing space
so that we may move away from systems of hierarchy and oppression which only serve
to divide and weaken us as environmental and social justice organizers. We worktowards a horizontal structure of organization and incorporate anti-oppression so we
may empower each other, strengthen our community and move together towards the
collective liberation of all peoples and the earth for a world free from domination.
ContactTo get involved in local resistance to extractive industries [email protected]
Media inquiries should be directed to our email at [email protected] or
to to one of our spokespeople:
Sam Law- 607-229-3403
Kat Stevens - 607-591-0607
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