An e-mail from GrowSmartDover.org asks for our support for an independent expert analysis of the Cricket Valley DEIS as submitted. I agree wholeheartedly and wrote:
I believe that your call for an independent expert to represent the citizen's best interest is timely and crucial to the application process. If the following information is correct, it will be important to inform the public that the independent expert must be funded by the developer, and will not be a financial burden to the community.
Under the recently adopted Assembly bill A08510, it appears that the developer would be required to fund an intervenor account up to $750,000-
"TO BE DISBURSED AT THE BOARD'S DIRECTION, TO
47 DEFRAY EXPENSES INCURRED BY MUNICIPAL AND OTHER LOCAL PARTIES TO THE
48 PROCEEDING FOR EXPERT
49 WITNESS, CONSULTANT, ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL FEES,
It may be advisable to included this information in the petition as well
The Coalition have addressed this issue in their blog and I believe that it is imperative to compel the developer to make this important financial commitment to the community. Here's a good legal summary of the Article X provisions (credit and thank you to GrowSmartDover)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Cricket Valley DEIS comments and http://growsmartdover.org/
I think these Guys and Gals are great- probably the closest thing the citizens have to an advocate in the development process for Dover NY. Here's my two cents (as of today) on the project:
The reality at Cricket Valley is that the developer is prepared to invest $1 billion to build a state of the art combined cycle natural gas fueled power plant at their chosen site in Dover NY. They have invested a tremendous amount of time and money in R and D on this project, and obviously expect to make a profit over the projected 40 year life of the plant. The NYSDEC and Town of Dover are very likely to approve this expensive project in short order.
It is important to realize that this project does have a place in the power grid for the Eastern US. Dirty coal fired plants with their serious impact on air quality, not to mention quality of life in the coal mining regions, will be forced to shut down rather than be retrofit at great expense. The Indian Point reactor has reached the end of it's safe and useful operation, and it is very unlikely that a nuclear facility would be approved anywhere in the Hudson Valley in the future.
Since the Unites States as a whole has taken over 40 years to grasp the importance of alternative energy technologies, this state of the art plant should only be considered as a bridge to more sustainable green power alternatives currently under development. Advanced Power Services should be compelled to incorporate compatible green technologies into their emission control plan, and ultimately be prepared to transition their project entirely to renewable resources over the life of the project.
Only before the final approvals are made will the residents of New York State and the Town of Dover be able to negotiate with the developer to ensure a commitment to employ developing green technology in their planning. Residents need to work together to seek concessions including air quality monitoring and additional incentives such as development fees and other financial commitments to the community that will host this project over the next 40 years and beyond.
The reality at Cricket Valley is that the developer is prepared to invest $1 billion to build a state of the art combined cycle natural gas fueled power plant at their chosen site in Dover NY. They have invested a tremendous amount of time and money in R and D on this project, and obviously expect to make a profit over the projected 40 year life of the plant. The NYSDEC and Town of Dover are very likely to approve this expensive project in short order.
It is important to realize that this project does have a place in the power grid for the Eastern US. Dirty coal fired plants with their serious impact on air quality, not to mention quality of life in the coal mining regions, will be forced to shut down rather than be retrofit at great expense. The Indian Point reactor has reached the end of it's safe and useful operation, and it is very unlikely that a nuclear facility would be approved anywhere in the Hudson Valley in the future.
Since the Unites States as a whole has taken over 40 years to grasp the importance of alternative energy technologies, this state of the art plant should only be considered as a bridge to more sustainable green power alternatives currently under development. Advanced Power Services should be compelled to incorporate compatible green technologies into their emission control plan, and ultimately be prepared to transition their project entirely to renewable resources over the life of the project.
Only before the final approvals are made will the residents of New York State and the Town of Dover be able to negotiate with the developer to ensure a commitment to employ developing green technology in their planning. Residents need to work together to seek concessions including air quality monitoring and additional incentives such as development fees and other financial commitments to the community that will host this project over the next 40 years and beyond.
New York To Adopt New Power Plant Siting Law
This just in- New York To Adopt New Power Plant Siting Law, but will it affect the Cricket Valley site? It seems as though the plant will be built on the proposed site in Dover NY, with the blessing of the NY DEC and the Governor himself. But there may be a little bit of good news for the local citizens in this bill.
" The state Department of Environmental Conservation would be tasked with developing regulations to ensure that power plants are not built in overdeveloped areas. Also, power companies would have to pay for an “intervenor fund” of up to $750,000 that could be used by local groups and others to study the effects of a power plant in their community, and also to fund legal bills. The DEC would have a year to develop the regulations; the bill also requires a study of the use of solar power."
Even though there is year to develop regulations, I think that Cricket Valley Energy, as a good neighbor, may want to jump on the bandwagon now and volunteer to comply with this proposal in advance of the ruling.
" The state Department of Environmental Conservation would be tasked with developing regulations to ensure that power plants are not built in overdeveloped areas. Also, power companies would have to pay for an “intervenor fund” of up to $750,000 that could be used by local groups and others to study the effects of a power plant in their community, and also to fund legal bills. The DEC would have a year to develop the regulations; the bill also requires a study of the use of solar power."
Even though there is year to develop regulations, I think that Cricket Valley Energy, as a good neighbor, may want to jump on the bandwagon now and volunteer to comply with this proposal in advance of the ruling.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Coalition for the Responsible Growth of Dover
Thank you for the info on the Saturday meeting- it's on my calendar. I have reviewed the DEIS online.
My interest is in the project in general of course, but I am aware of several pilot projects that use the waste
gasses from new power plants to aid in the production of fuel from algae biomass. It seems as though it would be
a net win/win for the town and the developer to add this feature on an adjacent site.
This would be an entirely separate project and should not be a requirement of the approval process, however it could be a tremendous boon to the area economy and the environment.
My interest is in the project in general of course, but I am aware of several pilot projects that use the waste
gasses from new power plants to aid in the production of fuel from algae biomass. It seems as though it would be
a net win/win for the town and the developer to add this feature on an adjacent site.
This would be an entirely separate project and should not be a requirement of the approval process, however it could be a tremendous boon to the area economy and the environment.
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