MIDDLETOWN – Mayor Joseph DeStefano fired off a letter to CPV on Friday asking the company to “immediately cease all operations of its Valley Energy Center, in Wawayanda, NY, that could possibly cause excess air emissions.”
His letter asks for the testing to be halted “until CPV prepares and submits a compliance plan” to the City of Middletown and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The mayor also asked for a meeting with CPV and DEC to discuss preparation and review of a compliance plan for the electric generating facility to “quickly return to operation, to coordinate air pollutant monitoring and oversight,” and to discuss the city’s concerns.
DeStefano has asked CPV for access to data from air emission sampling that he understands CPV began on Monday, February 19.
Middletown has retained the services of CDM Smith, Inc., to review CPV’s pre-construction air permit.
“Although CPV is not required to meet the numeric air pollutant emission limits during the plan shakedown period, the following air permit conditions do apply at all times, including during the plant and equipment startup,” the consultant commented, saying CPV “has possibly violated one or more of these conditions.”
They would include that “No person shall cause or allow emissions of air contaminants to the outdoor atmosphere of such quality, characteristic or duration which are injurious to human, plant or animal life or to property, or which unreasonably interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property.”
CDM Smith said the plant’s permit “does not appear to include an operating condition for steam cleaning/blowing.”
