Village Board got information Monday
Some municipalities have passed resolutions rejecting Danskammer’s application for a new gas-fired power plant. The Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson is not one of them. Michelle Hook, vice president for public affairs, was invited to speak to the Board of Trustees during Monday night’s work session.
The Danskammer Generating Station is located on the shore of the Hudson River in the Town of Newburgh, and has been there for nearly 70 years. Hook said the point of the proposed project is to clean up the facility and make it better for the environment.
With Indian Point expected to shut down next year, the Hudson Valley’s dependency on fossil fuels will increase by 20 percent because wind and solar power are not available yet, said Hook.
Rhetorically asking the board, she questioned if they would like that additional energy to come from 50-year-old plants which are dirty or inefficient, or if they would prefer that power come from a much cleaner facility. She compared the sources to a 1970s Buick and a 2020 Prius.
“We’re bringing a Prius to the region,” Hook said. “It would reduce air pollution and emissions significantly for the region. It offers jobs and it will lower your electric bill because we are that much more efficient.”
The new facility would have emission controls and would be one of the most efficient in the country.
Opponents of the plant are concerned about the use of fracked gas in the facility, but Hook said natural gas is intermingled throughout the country’s pipeline system. Eighty percent of the natural gas comes from fracking sites. The gas used by Danskammer comes from a provider which distributes the same gas to homeowners.
Hook said the state is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2040 adding the plant would shut down if enough power is being produced by wind and solar. The other option is the plant could switch to hydrogen at that point.
Representatives from Scenic Hudson are expected to make a presentation at the December work session.
