WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed said he is troubled by how the NRG Dunkirk Power Plant project ended and blamed the state’s “liberal agenda” for the failure of the project.
During a Tuesday conference call, Reed told WNYNewsNow that everyone worked hard to make the project a success and even recalled Gov. Andrew Cuomo standing with him and others at the Dunkirk plant and declaring victory for the project.
“This is something we have worked tirelessly on here at the federal level, as well as with our state and local partners across party lines and we had a potential successful outcome in regard to NRG repowering with natural gas,” Reed said. “But, obviously, I think what you see in that facility now is a symbol of an extreme liberal agenda out of our state capitol that is blocking any efforts to develop natural gas in New York State.”
Reed said the state showed its bias against natural gas repowering projects “be it the pipeline that was necessary to be constructed to the NRG facility to make the repowering of natural gas a reality, as well as the overall sentiment in New York State that they’ve adopted at the state capitol that they are adamently opposed to natural gas repowering projects, in my opinion, going forward in New York.
Reed said the dormant Dunkirk Power Plant is a consequence of liberal extremist actions.
“This is a real consequence of that extreme policy that is something that hopefully we can change going forward,” he said.
“Now what we have to do is work together. You remember the governor stood with us as we declared victory in the NRG facility,” Reed said. “Hopefully we can lure another energy company to that facility.”
