Archive: Opinions

I am extremely concerned about climate change, and I’m also the parent of two boys in Lansing public schools. I thought the proposal to repower the Cayuga Power Plant, which is a significant source of tax revenue for Lansing schools, would pit my kids’ future against their education. But it turns out they work together.

Key to the proposal is the inclusion of a 2MW solar array. It’s a good start, and one we can build on. Plant managers say there is a plan to add to the solar arrays in the future. It seems our Cayuga power plant could become a model for using cleaner burning natural gas as an interim, bridge fuel to fully clean solar power.

Another important consideration: the alternative proposal is to build new transmission lines that pipe in power from elsewhere, including power from dirty coal that comes from states with less stringent environmental regulations, like Pennsylvania or New Jersey. So shutting down Cayuga may well lead to more overall greenhouse gas emissions than repowering our local plant.

Our federal and state governments are very right to phase dirty coal out of our energy infrastructure. But it’s also up to Gov. Cuomo, Sen. Nozzolio, and Assemblywoman Lifton to ensure that Lansing kids aren’t collateral damage in the process. The proposal to repower Cayuga Power Plant with natural gas for now, with a commitment to solar power that ramps up in the future, is the best solution for our kids, educationally and environmentally.


Gus Axelson
Lansing, NY
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