New Life for Huntley?

In an environmental victory, Governor “Status” Cuomo has announced that he plans to phase out coal burning electric power plant over the next four years. This sounds great until one reads further on in the Buffalo News article that he plans to convert these plants from coal to natural gas.

Why is that a concern? The largest supply of natural gas in the region is in the Marcellus Shale and will allow frackers an opportunity to overturn the ban on fracking in NY. Until then, NY will probably rely on fracked gas from Pennsylvania, which will further wreck that state's environment.

All of this in order to boil water for electric generators.

Yes, you read that right. Boiling water. That is what the coal and gas is used for. Water is boiled and turns into steam, which turns turbines and generates electricity. Pretty dirty and inefficient if you ask me.

And what are people worried about? Loss of jobs and loss to the tax base. Schools and localities will lose money from the plant's closure.

To me, the solution is quite obvious: the University of Buffalo is right down the road (or a few of them) and has an active Engineering Department. We also have Solar City going up over on the Buffalo Waterfront.

Simple math to me: UB Engineering Department + Solar City = Convert Huntley (and other coal based power plants) into electric plants that boil the water for their generators using … solar power? Can it be done?

That's for the Engineering Department to figure out.

This solves several problems.

1. It saves the plant and the jobs.

2. It saves the tax base.

3. It eliminates pollution from the plant completely.

Yes, there are the challenges of WNY winters and overcast days. That's for the Engineering Department to solve.

And it would be a boost to the school and the department to boot.

So, why is that not on the agenda?

Another question would be: Who is setting the agenda?

After all, they do want to convert the other plants to natural gas.

As Michael Parenti asks, “Cui bono?”

Who profits?

Not you or me.

Just the natural gas industry.