FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 25, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 20
Lawmaker calls on state to reject NRG appeal for permit to replace power plant
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
State Senator Michael Gianaris called on
the state Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) to reject NRG’s appeal of the
agency’s denial of permits to build and operate
a new fossil fuel power plant in Astoria. Th e
DEC denied the company’s initial application
in October.
“Th e DEC was right to deny a permit for a
destructive, fossil fuel plant in Astoria and
should reject the appeal as well,” Gianaris said.
“Our community drew a line in the sand against
new fossil fuel infrastructure and won. Let the
DEC issue a strong statement that ‘no new fossil
fuel plants’ is the policy of New York as we fi ght
the ravages of the climate crisis.”
Aft er many months of advocacy, rallies and
protest marches by Astoria residents and environmental
activists against the NRG project,
the DEC rejected the application. Astoria is
already home to multiple power-generating
facilities, and the area immediately surrounding
those plants is known as “Asthma Alley,”
where residents are known to have higherthan
average rates of respiratory diseases
such as asthma and emphysema. A new plant
would also make it likely the state would fail to
comply with the Climate Leadership and Community
Protection Act (CLCPA), New York’s
nation-leading climate laws which Gianaris
championed in 2019.
CLCPA commits the state to an “equitable
clean energy future,” with 70% of electricity
being renewable by 2030, 100% of electricity
being carbon-free by 2040, and an 85% emissions
reduction overall by 2050.
NRG’s proposal would have replaced 50-yearold
power generators in the Ditmars-Steinway
area.
“NRG remains committed to providing reliable
backup power to New York City and its
ratepayers,” NRG spokesman David Schrader
said. “Recent events have demonstrated in
very clear terms the importance of having a
robust energy mix to ensure the lights stay on.
Th e Astoria Replacement Project proposed
by NRG would help address reliability gaps,
while also helping New York meet its aggressive
climate goals.”
Since the DEC denied a permit for the project,
New York Independent System Operator Inc.
published a study that determined an extreme
98-degree sustained heatwave would test the
system limits today and exceed the grid’s abilities
beginning in 2023.
Schrader explained, adding that, “NRG is
pursuing an adjudicatory hearing of the NYSDEC’s
decision because the denial was both
legally and factually fl awed and the NYSDEC
exceeded its authority to deny the permit based
on its interpretation of the Climate Leadership
and Community Protection Act.”
Gianaris said the CLPCA’s ambitious goals
are not just critical, they are the law in New
York state.
“What we need going forward is simple: a
transition to a renewable energy future. Th ere
is much work to be done, and the clock is ticking,”
Gianaris said. “We cannot move backward
with this dirty, fossil fuel-fi red plant in western
Queens. We need bolder ideas and just solutions
to solve our climate crisis. Th erefore, NRG’s appeal
must be rejected.”
More than 100 people attended the DEC’s
virtual hearing on the NRG appeal.
Queens leaders urge state to make drinks-to-go permanent
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Several Queens lawmakers gathered at
Mojitos Restaurant Bar in Jackson Heights to
mark the second anniversary of the emergency
orders that shut down all dining and drinking
establishments at the start of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Th e elected offi cials spoke in support of Governor
Kathy Hochul’s eff orts to make alcoholto
go permanent in this year’s fi nal budget.
“Just like temporary liquor licenses, bringing
back to-go cocktails is about parity for small
businesses in the restaurant industry,” state
Senator Jessica Ramos said. “During the height
of the pandemic, the hospitality industry used
the expanse of its creativity to stay afl oat while
keeping our communities safe. Th e go-to drink
revenue stream allowed them to hire more
people and reinvigorate our commercial corridors
when it was desperately needed. Now they
need a lifeline to recovery and we can deliver.”
Ramos co-sponsored the legislation with
state Senator Leroy Comrie in the upper
chamber.
“Returning to a sensible to-go drinks policy would
support ongoing eff orts to rebuild and recover
Queens’ and New York state’s economy from the
worst days of the pandemic, remembering those
worst days hit the restaurant industry and workers
particularly hard,” Comrie said. “We must pursue
a to-go drinks policy that means these small businesses
have an opportunity to thrive.”
Th e policy was not included in the Legislature’s
budget proposal.
“The restaurant industry, especially in New York City
where local restaurants help shape the bedrock of many
communities, were ravaged during the pandemic,”
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz said. “Drinks-to-go
is just one way the legislature can help local business
owners and stimulate the economic recovery. They
simply want to offer the same menu items to take-out
customers that dine-in customers enjoy. I call on my
colleagues to support making this revenue generator
permanent.”
Th ey said alcohol-to-go is a critical lifeline
for restaurants to recoup sales to pre-pandemic
levels that provided $4 billion in sales tax revenue
to the state’s coff ers, highlighting its direct
impact on state revenue.
“Th ese last two years have made it nearly
impossible for many restaurants to stay
afl oat, and many small business owners had
to close their doors,” Assemblywoman Jessica
González-Rojas said. “Despite these challenges,
restaurants not only kept our communities fed
but oft en went above and beyond what they
could do. In my district, many struggling
restaurants showed up for our communities
by donating food to hospital workers on the
front lines. We owe these pillars of our communities
a lifeline, and alcohol-to-go proved
to be just that.”
A survey conducted by the New York State
Restaurant Association last May found that
more than 78% of New Yorkers support alcoholto
go becoming permanent.
Read more on PoliticsNY.com.
Photo courtesy of NRG
State Senator Michael Gianaris is urging state regulators to reject an appeal by NRG for a permit to replace a
power plant in Astoria.
Photo courtesy of González-Rojas’ offi ce
Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas calls for the inclusion of the revenue-generating drinks-to-go initiative
to be included in the fi nal state budget.
/PoliticsNY.com
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
