Assemblyman Andy Goodell (R,C,I-Chautauqua) is encouraging local residents to join him, Senator Young, union members, the Chamber of Commerce, and other concerned members of PowerUPWNY at a rally in support of the re-powering of the NRG plant in Dunkirk. The rally will be held this Saturday, December 7 from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Dunkirk City Pier, Central Avenue in Dunkirk.

NRG has proposed to invest about a half-a-billion dollars to convert the Dunkirk electric plant from a coal plant to a highly efficient state-of-the-art natural gas plant. The new plant would be one of the most efficient electric plants in New York, would save electric customers millions of dollars a year, and would be environmentally friendly and clean.

“The support of local residents is critical in our effort to keep the NRG plant in Dunkirk open,” said Goodell. “We need to send a strong clear message to Governor Cuomo and the Public Service Commission that our community strongly supports this project.”

The positive impacts on the local economy are tremendous, noted Goodell. The re-powering project would create about 500 jobs and result in many long-term, high-paid jobs at the plant. This would be the largest single private sector investment in Chautauqua County’s history, without any taxpayer subsidy.

On the other hand, if the NRG project is not approved by the Public Service Commission, city and school taxes could increase by more than 42 percent. For the average homeowner, this could raise property taxes by about $1,000 a year.

“Senator Young was successful in getting statutory language passed to support this project, which I strongly supported in the State Assembly,” said Goodell. “Now, we need the help of the public to get this project approved.”

Additional information regarding PowerUpWNY and the NRG re-powering project can be found by visiting their Web site.