“Strong” Turnout for Press Conference on the Proposed GlidePath Fossil-Fuel Power Plant in Town of Ulster.

Today, over 25 residents gathered at a press conference organized by TownOfUlsterCitizens.org and Pat Strong, candidate for District 46 State Senate. The group met on Riesely Street in the Town of Ulster, a densely populated residential neighborhood and ‘ground zero’ for the proposed Lincoln Park Grid Support Center, a gas-fired fossil power plant project by GlidePath.

“Glidepath, a company from Illinois, who has never built a fossil fuel project, wants to come into our town, and build something we don’t want, we don’t need, and that gives us no benefits whatsoever.” said Laura Hartmann, one of the founding members of TownOfUlsterCitizens.org. “They come because they can get their emissions permits easier because of our clean air.  They come because of the financial incentive from NYS of $1.4 million before they even flip the on switch.”

District 46 State Senate candidate Pat Strong gave her support to the coalition of partners who have been working together for many months on this matter.

“As a long-time advocate for clean energy, I cannot support this project because of its siting next to a residential neighborhood and because GlidePath is ignoring more sustainable energy technologies in favor of carbon-based sources,” Pat Strong said.  “Ulster County is a leader in ‘walking the talk’ on renewable energy and energy efficiency, and this project will take us in the wrong direction. I join Ulster County Executive Mike Hein in opposing this project because it runs counter to the spirit and the demonstrated track record of our environmentally forward- thinking community.”

GlidePath owns a 300MW portfolio of renewable energy projects across the U.S. and this would be its first project using fossil fuels. The governor has set a goal of installing 1500 MW of battery storage by 2025 and GlidePath has an opportunity to be a leader in this area.

“We would welcome the construction jobs that would accompany a GlidePath renewables project; they would be a boon to our regional economy,” Strong said.

Read their complete statements below.

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Laura Hartmann, TownOfUlsterCitizens.org
STATEMENT: On the proposed GlidePath proposal in the Town of Ulster, NY. and welcoming Pat Strong, Candidate for District 46)

Good morning and welcome to the town of Ulster!  My name is Laura Hartmann and I am speaking on behalf of TownOfUlsterCitizens.org.  Our organization formed in January of this year, inspired by our common desire to keep our air and water clean and preserve the beauty of the ridge behind us.  We are a non-partisan volunteer citizens group and our numbers have grown steadily over these past few months.  Those of you here from the group, please raise your hands.

Here, behind me, in front of you, is ground zero for Glidepath’s 20MW Lincoln Park Grid Support Center.  Imagine, just 680 feet away from these houses, a gas-fired power plant with diesel back up. Imagine the smell from the burning gas and diesel, the noise, the lighting at night.

Up on the hill there is Ulster Gardens, a senior housing complex, a population that is very vulnerable to the emissions that will be spewing from the two 80-foot smoke-stacks.

Over this direction is the Ulster County Solar Farm that recently opened.  You can walk to it.  It’s that close.

I have walked this ridge, it is a beautiful, peaceful, important piece of land that includes a primary aquifer for this region, wetlands, vernal pools, and is inhabited by a plethora of flora and fauna, and sites of archeological significance.

Glidepath, a company from Illinois, who has never built a fossil fuel project, wants to come into our town, and build something we don’t want, we don’t need, and that gives us no benefits whatsoever.

They come because they can get their emissions permits easier because of our clean air.  They come because of the financial incentive from NYS of $1.4 million before they even flip the on switch.

They are not, however, considering how this will affect all the people here today, and who live in these houses.  They aren’t considering how it will devalue these beautiful homes, where some people have lived for many, many years and have a good portion of their lives invested.

We are here today because we care that the character of our community is at stake.  Who will want to come here and build new businesses, bring their families to live?

For these, and many other reasons, I’d like to thank Pat Strong for coming here today, to bring attention to the possibility of this power plant being built here in the town of Ulster.  And for joining our cause, as County Executive Mike Hein has done.  And as he has said, the correct height for these smoke stacks in ZERO!

 

Pat Strong, Candidate for State Senate (District 46)
STATEMENT: On the proposed GlidePath proposal in the Town of Ulster, NY.

Thank you all for coming today. And thank you especially to the members of the coalition led by TownOfUlsterCitizens.org that has done the hard work of studying the GlidePath proposal and making recommendations to the Town of Ulster. I commend you for your vigorous efforts to protect our communities and our environment. I’d like to recognize those groups now:

TownOfUlsterCitizens.org and KingstonCitizens.org in partnership with Catskill Mountainkeeper, CAPP-NY, Citizens for Local Power, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Inc., Kingston Land Trust, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Sustainable Hudson Valley, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter (NYS), Mid-Hudson Sierra Club and the Woodstock Land Conservancy

We’re here today because I want to add my voice to those calling for GlidePath Power Solutions to set aside its plans for the Lincoln Park Grid Support Center that is planned for a site that is a stone’s throw from where we are standing.  I also support the request to the Town of Ulster by this consortium of environmental and citizen groups to enact a moratorium on this project until the town amends the zoning code to provide for specific regulation of this type of power plant.

As a long-time advocate for clean energy, I cannot support this project because of its siting and because GlidePath is ignoring more sustainable energy technologies in favor of carbon-based sources.

Ulster County is a leader in ‘walking the talk’ on renewable energy and energy efficiency, and this project as currently proposed will take us in the wrong direction. I join Ulster County Executive Mike Hein in opposing this project because it runs counter to the spirit and the demonstrated track record of our environmentally forward-thinking community.

GlidePath owns a 300MW portfolio of renewable energy projects across the U.S. and this would be its first project using fossil fuels. The governor has set a goal of installing 1500 MW of battery storage by 2025 and GlidePath has an opportunity to be a leader in this area.

There are better solutions for supplying our State’s growing need for energy, and meeting the demand for flexibility and responsiveness in directing energy where it’s needed.

Advanced storage technologies, in the form of batteries, are certainly going to be part of the mix, either in the form of storage-only solutions or storage-plus renewables.  Significantly, renewables do not have to be co-located on the same site in order to get state incentives.

Ironically, it’s easier to get a permit to build a fossil fuel plant in an area with clean air, because the air quality permitting hurdles aren’t as high for our region as they are for downstate.

Along with my fellow concerned citizens, I call on GlidePath to go back to the drawing board and come up with a solution that is as positive for the residents of the Hudson Valley as it is for downstate population centers.

4 thoughts on ““Strong” Turnout for Press Conference on the Proposed GlidePath Fossil-Fuel Power Plant in Town of Ulster.”

  1. This is such a great event and I’m so delighted with Pat Strong’s statement since she is my NY State Senator now and we need every ally to help stop Glidepath. Really appreciate Laura’s strong statement also… and, of course, the pun. Thanks for this coverage.
    I shared it on Twitter today. Retweet! @POW_no_fracking

    Reply

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