Riverkeeper attorney Richard Webster, left, and
Orange County Executivef Steven Neuhaus
GOSHEN – The Riverkeeper environmental group formally requested of the state Department of Environmental Conservation to suspend or revoke the air permit for the CPV power plant in the Town of Wawayanda.
Joining in the call on Monday were Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus, Assembly Members Aileen Gunther and James Skoufis as well as the county legislature, represented at a news conference by Legislator James O’Donnell, who is running for Congress this year.
The formal request from Riverkeeper notes the DEC has “broad authority to revoke, suspend or modify permits.”
Neuhaus said when the facility was first proposed the county legislature and he supported it, but in light of the conviction of one-time Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco on bribery charges related to the plant and the health and safety issues raised, they are all calling for the permits to be pulled.
“These are serious concerns,” Neuhaus said. “I think even if this plant emits rainbows for the next 30 years, the corruption scandal that has really plagued this is going to forever have a black shroud over it.”
Gunther and Skoufis said they are in the process of drafting legislation that would revoke state permits for facilities like CPV when criminal activity is involved.
“In addition to this letter, I will soon be introducing legislation to require, and not just allow DEC to revoke permits if there has been a violation of state or federal law,” Gunther said. “This situation cannot be allowed. As a nurse I know that the health of our community is vital and I think that we are standing together to protect our constituency.”
O’Donnell, meanwhile, said public officials should also keep an eye on the Cricket Valley electric generating plant being built in Dover to ascertain if there are any similar issues there.
Pramilla Malik, president of Protect Orange County, the citizens’ group that has been pushing for the CPV plant’s closure, said the formal request by Riverkeeper is a good first step.
“It cannot end here,” Malik said. “We need to see immediate follow through action. The public will not accept living with this power plant any longer. If they want to have any credibility as elected officials or as a public interest organization, they need to follow through with action, legal action, political action.”
Malick felt the officials on Monday “equivocated” on the issue. She maintained the plant should never have been built and since it has, it should be shut down immediately. And she said if the state will not do it, Orange County’s Health Department has the policing powers to pull the plug on in.
