Ongoing testing, including last Saturday (above), is sending smoke
and steam into the sky
MIDDLETOWN – The City of Middletown will hire an independent consulting firm to monitor the plumes of steam coming from the stacks at the CPV power plant in Wawayanda as testing continues using diesel fuel.
Competetive Power Ventures had hoped to use natural gas, but the issue of extending a pipeline to the plant is tied up in court.
Over a dozen people, residents of Middletown as well as neighboring communities
spoke at Tuesday night’s common council session condemning the electric
generating plant and the diesel fuel currently powering it.
Mayor Joseph DeStefano, who called the steam plumes “unacceptable,” met with CPV officials on Saturday and again along with Wawayanda town officials on Tuesday and secured CPV’s commitment that they would begin their own air monitoring of the stacks during the test period. DeStefano also secured another significant commitment from CPV.
“When the cleaning process is done and the plant is commissioned
if the natural gas litigation is not resolved by then, that they will
shut the plant down, they will not operate the plant on fuel even if they
are entitled to by law to operate the plant on diesel fuel,” DeStefano
said.
Council members said they would support funding independent air monitoring of the stack emissions, but DeStefano said he would welcome the support of Wawayanda and other neighboring communities.
Some residents who spoke at the meeting suggested Middletown should take responsibility for the plant since it is selling CPV gray water to cool it. Councilwoman Kate Ramkissoon noted that if the city had not sold them gray water, it would have secured water from other means, whether it would be from aquifers or even pipe it over from the Delaware River.
Other residents who spoke criticized the ultimate use of fracked gas from Pennsylvania to fuel the plant.
plant in Wawayanda as testing continues using diesel fuel.
The company had hoped to use natural gas, but the issue of extending a pipeline to the plant is tied up in court.
Over a dozen people, residents of Middletown as well as neighboring communities spoke at Tuesday night’s common council session condemning the power plant and the diesel fuel currently powering it.
Mayor Joseph DeStefano, who called the steam plumes “unacceptable,” met with CPV officials on Saturday and again along with Wawayanda town officials on Tuesday and secured CPV’s commitment that they would begin their own air monitoring of the stacks during the test period. DeStefano also secured another significant commitment from CPV.
“When the cleaning process is done and the plant is commission if the natural gas litigation is not resolved by then, that they will shut the plant down, they will not operate the plant on fuel even if they are entitled to by law to operate the plant on diesel fuel,” DeStefano said.
Council members said they would support funding independent air monitoring of the stack emissions, but DeStefano said he would welcome the support of Wawayanda and other neighboring communities.
Some residents who spoke at the meeting suggested Middletown should take responsibility for the plant since it is selling CPV gray water to cool it. Councilwoman Kate Ramkissoon noted that if the city had not sold them gray water, it would have secured water from other means, whether it would be from aquifers or even pipe it over from the Delaware River.
Other residents who spoke criticized the ultimate use of fracked gas from Pennsylvania to fuel the plant.
