New York, NY (PRWEB) July 13, 2012
Smart Power NY, a coalition of business, labor, and environmental groups as well as local and state elected officials, today announced that New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has joined the group, which is advocating for access to safe and reliable sources of power, a reduction in carbon emissions, job creation and policies that will help New Yorkers save on their power bills.
The coalition’s focus is to gain broad support in both New York City and across the state for the Astoria Repowering Project, which would update an existing power plant in Queens with new, dramatically cleaner and more environmentally-efficient generating equipment. In addition to Speaker Quinn, the Queens campus of Mount Sinai Hospital (Mount Sinai Queens) also announced they have joined the Smart Power NY coalition.
Speaker Quinn said: “We all have an obligation to make a citywide effort to clean up the air quality in New York. This is not just a local project in Queens; every city resident stands to benefit from the Astoria Repowering Project. Not only will it help improve the air quality in all five boroughs, it will create a new, more efficient and reliable source of energy for the City and provide hundreds of jobs at zero expense to taxpayers.”
New York Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, chair of the Smart Power NY coalition, said: “It is my pleasure to welcome City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mount Sinai Queens to the Smart Power NY coalition. Their support of this initiative shows a deep understanding of the important health problems we face as a community and as a city. There are many benefits to Repowering Astoria including jobs and lower energy costs. Most important, however, is that everyone will benefit physically. The hardworking parents of New York who worry about their health and the health of their families can rest assured that every breath they take is much cleaner than their last.”
Caryn Schwab, Executive Director at Mount Sinai Queens said: “Mount Sinai Queens is pleased to join local and state elected officials, community organizations, and business and labor leaders who support retrofitting obsolete and inefficient power plants. The move to clean energy will have positive public health benefits for New York City’s people, especially young people, pregnant women, and the elderly.”
Marcia Bystryn, President, New York League of Conservation Voters said: “Repowering the Astoria plant will provide cleaner, more reliable and efficient power in Queens and for all of New York City. We applaud Speaker Quinn for lending her support to this valuable project, and hope more organizations and officials will join this effort to improve air quality for city residents.”
The Astoria Repowering enjoys broad support from business, labor, environmental groups, local and state elected officials and the local community. The New York State Public Service Commission and Department of Environmental Conservation have already granted permits for the Project, which will:
- Put 500 New Yorkers to work for three years building the plant
- Reduce onsite “peak day” emissions by 98%
- Displace less efficient units, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,000,000 tons each year, the equivalent of removing 185,000 cars from New York City’s roads
- Increase generating efficiency by 56%
- Replace older technology units with new, efficient technology
- Help meet the electricity needs of New York’s growth with more generating capacity—enough to power 320,000 homes
Smart Power NY was formed to advance a clean energy agenda for New York, and advocate for access to safe and reliable sources of power, a reduction in carbon emissions, job creation and policies that will help New Yorkers save on their power bills. All of this would be achieved by leveraging private investment only—no taxpayer or ratepayer funds will be used. Additional information and a full list of coalition members can found at http://www.SmartPowerNY.org
