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Opinion |
April 23, 2004 |
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Plant opponents make solid case
Opponents of a huge cement plant proposal in Columbia County are coming so fast, and from so many directions, that it's getting difficult to keep up.
But the state should pay heed to what so many of its residents, and neighbors, are saying. Consider:
- The American Lung Association of New York State is opposing the project, saying it would raise certain emissions that create ozone pollution linked to lung disease.
- A Dutchess County Environmental Management Council task force says the state should reconsider the data it is using to determine some of the environmental impacts of the project.
- Earlier, the attorneys general of Maine and Connecticut expressed concerns about the proposal, fearing the plant could harm regional air quality across state lines.
And so it goes. There are legitimate reasons for all these fears. St. Lawrence Cement Co.'s plans are out of scale with the area. It wants to close an old plant in Catskill, Greene County, and build a $320 million facility -- with three times the capacity -- across the Hudson River in the City of Hudson and Town of Greenport. The plant would include an unsightly preheater tower and stack that would be the tallest structure between New York City and Albany.
Compared to the existing plant, the new facility is projected to reduce some emissions of several pollutants -- but not all of them. To support its case about these pollution effects, the company provided the state with weather data from Albany -- not local data. Foolishly, the state Department of Environmental Conservation allowed the company this option, and refused to let plant opponents challenge that ruling.
Environmental groups are rightly worried about increased air pollution that would make it worse for those with lung problems like asthma. That's why Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Brad Kendall, R-Dover, and then-Legislator Ed Hass charged the county's Environmental Management Council to investigate the proposed facility's possible effects on local air quality.
Among other recommendations, the council says Dutchess County should appeal to DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty to rescind her decision to use the Albany data in considering the plant's pollution impacts.
"This testing should be done near the proposed plant site in order to gauge the most accurate impacts on Dutchess County," the task force says.
The council's conclusions are only advisory; county lawmakers could put more weight behind them by endorsing the recommendations.
And the state itself must take into account what neighboring states are saying about the plant. Remember, New York has teamed up with a coalition of Northeast states to file lawsuits against coal-burning power plants in the Midwest to cut their emissions. It would be the height of hypocrisy for New York to ignore the concerns being raised about the proposed cement plant.
While the DEC is weighing the environmental considerations, another state agency, the Department of State, has asked the company for more information on a host of issues -- ranging from the proposed plant's potential impact on scenery, noise, light, and waterfront communities. This, in part, is to make sure the project would comply with state and federal coastal zone policies.
As more questions are raised about the proposed plant, it's becoming clear the state must not approve these plans as submitted. The project must be scaled back -- greatly.
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