Rockland s Student Senate went to Thursday night s meeting to voice their opposition to the proposed plant. It s a shame that this plant will ruin four counties for only 32 workers and will jeopardize the future of many generations to come, said Dan Park, freshman senator. It s time to mobilize the troops and fight these greedy corporations, said Tomer Malchi, sophomore senator. Many say the plant is being built at this site because of Article X, a law that the state legislature passed for the siting of power plants. You could fast-track or override the local government and community and the decision will be made by the state, said Geoff Welch, director of the Rockland County Conservation Association.
Article X is part of a plan by the state to deregulate electricity.
The idea is that because of competition between companies fewer plants will be built and communities will pay less for power, said Singh. Article X says that the siting board must have two voters from the area in question, but as of yet Gov. Pataki has not chosen them, she said. Article X also says that the energy doesn t have to be sold to the county or even within the state s borders. Article X doesn t require the finding of a local need, nor does it mandate that any of the energy be sold within the borders of the state, said Robert Neff, director of the Torne Valley Preservation Association. The state does not attempt to set up a fair, rational system for energy distribution within the state, he said.