8 JULY 15, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
Adams meets with Biden in White House
BY STEPHEN WITT
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee
for New York City mayor,
participated in a round-table
discussion on reducing gun violence
with President Joseph Biden, U.S. Attorney
General Merrick Garland, local
leaders and community experts at the
White House on Monday, July 12.
Accompanying Adams on his trip
to Washington was Deputy Borough
President Ingrid Martin-Lewis and
his communication chief, Stefan Ringel.
Also at the meeting was House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
“I applaud President Joe Biden for
calling this critical meeting to address
rising crime, and for his commitment
to take on the gun violence epidemic
in our city and in our country. It is so
important to the safety of New Yorkers
that all levels of government work
together and take action to fi ght and
prevent crime,” Adams said.
NYC Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams (third from l.), with
President Joe Biden at the White House. Photo by Ingrid Martin-Lewis
“To achieve our shared goal of
reducing gun violence, it is critical
that the partnership between New
York City and the federal government
include both long-term crime
prevention strategies and immediate
interventions that stop the shootings
now and get the guns off of our
streets,” he added.
Adams, a former New York City
police captain, said he was confi dent
the Biden administration would focus
on fi nding and prosecuting the dirty
gun dealers, straw purchasers and
traffi ckers who fl ood our streets with
handguns.
“At the same time, we must work together
to deal with the feeders of crime
and violence, including funding for
young people aging out of foster care,
youth employment, job training, and
learning disability screenings and
help,” he said.
According to the New York Post, Adams
told a TV crew outside the White
House that he rejected the president’s
call to increase police forces in order
to combat illegal guns.
“The fi rst thing we need to do is to do
an assessment of how we are using our
police offi cers now. Far too many police
offi cers are doing clerical duty. Far too
many police offi cers are patrolling in
groups,” Adams told reporters.
Calling the meeting productive, Adams
concluded that he looked forward
“to working with the president as a true
partner to create a safer New York City
and a safer country.”
Schumer speaks out against controversial power plant in Astoria
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he opposes
the plan to upgrade the Astoria NRG fracked gas
power plant at a press conference on Friday, July 9.
The Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) recently approveddraft permits for NRG Energy’s
controversial proposal to replace and update
the 50-year-old peaker plant in Astoria with natural
gas-fi red power.
The opposition from Senator Schumer follows the announcement
made by the DEC last week that there will
be a 60-day public comment period for the proposed
fracked gas power plant.
Dozens of New York elected offi cials have come out
in opposition to the Astoria Replacement Project. Today,
at Katch Astoria, New Yorkers came out to once again
express their disapproval of the plan.
“For too long, the people of western Queens have
borne the brunt of the consequences of being home to
far too many of New York’s pollution-belching power
plants — that needs to stop today,” Schumer said. “A
rebuilt NRG plant that will keep a fossil fuel-dependent
power plant in Astoria for years to come would directly
undermine the urgently needed goals laid out in New
York’s groundbreaking climate law, the Climate Leadership
and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).”
NRG Spokesperson David Schrader said maintains
that the Astoria Replacement Project is following the
CLCPA, contrary to what Schumer said at the rally.
“It actually results in large reductions in statewide
greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent of taking
more than 94,000 cars off the road each year,” Schrader
said. “In addition, the plant will be fully convertible to
green hydrogen in the future.”
The state Legislature passed CLCPA in 2019, a bill
that was championed by Schumer and other elected
offi cials. The bill looks to mitigate the eff ects of climate
change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, relying
on renewable sources of energy and creating green
jobs.
Schumer was joined by New York State Senate
Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, State Senator Jessica
Ramos, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and Tiff any
Cabán, lead candidate for City Council in Astoria. Several
climate justice community groups and organizers
were in attendance as well.
At the rally, Schumer noted that Astoria is known
as “Asthma Alley,” because it’s home to multiple powergenerating
facilities. The U.S. Senate’s majority leader
said NRG’s proposal would continue to make the fi ght
against asthma increasingly diffi cult, and it would
cause irreversible environmental damage.
In response to many of Schumer’s comments, NRG’s
spokesperson said they also wish to ensure New York
has the infrastructure in place to provide cleaner and
more reliable power.
“NRG is funding the replacement of 50-year-old generators
with state-of-the-art technology at our Astoria
facility to ensure cleaner air for New Yorkers now —
at no cost to ratepayers or taxpayers,” Schrader said.
“Given unprecedented heatwaves already experienced
this summer, New York cannot aff ord to gamble with
the reliability of electric supply to the city. “
Read more on QNS.com.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer joined Queens
elected offi cials in opposition of the proposed
upgrade to NRG’s Astoria peaker plant.
Courtesy of Gianaris’ offi ce
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