RITCHIE CALLS ON PSC TO PRESERVE NUCLEAR ENERGY, PROTECT FITZPATRICK

State Senator Patty Ritchie called for New York State to preserve nuclear energy and protect the FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant in a letter to the Public Service Commission delivered as part of a public hearing held in Oswego on the PSC’s Clean Energy Standard, which has set a goal of the state achieving 50 percent renewable energy generation by 2030.

The letter, which was delivered to representatives of the Commission at Tuesday’s public hearing, outlined the importance of nuclear energy to achieving New York’s Clean Energy Standard, as well as how critical FitzPatrick is to Central New York, and the state as a whole.

Accompanying Senator Ritchie’s letter were more than 4,000 signatures—from people in Central New York, as well as across the country—in support of the FitzPatrick.

“I am certain that over the course of your hearings, you will hear many reasons why clean energy is important to New York State.  Here in Oswego however, it’s about more than clean energy—it’s about saving the FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant, a facility responsible for supporting 600 well-paying jobs, generating $18 million in property tax revenue annually and having an overall $500 million impact on our local economy every year,” said Senator Ritchie in her letter.

“Recently, I was proud to advocate for $100 million in the Senate’s one house budget that would help speed up proposed tax credits for renewable energy producers.  This funding, which was intended as a bridge until the Clean Energy Standard was implemented, clearly shows the Senate Majority’s commitment—including the commitment of senators from across New York State who know how important the facility is to not only our region’s economy, but also our state’s economy—to protecting FitzPatrick.”

In her letter, Senator Ritchie also urged the Commission to upgrade the state’s transmission system in an effort to allow Upstate energy to flow to power-starved communities downstate.

A copy of Senator Ritchie’s letter can be found here.