ALBANY, N.Y. -- A building in downtown Albany could be transformed, but critics are saying it could have negative effects on the environment.
The Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy (SHARE) delivered petitions to Gov. Cuomo and the New York Power Authority on Tuesday in an effort to stop plans to build a fracked gas power plant at the old trash-to-steam plant on Sheridan Ave.
The petitions gathered 3,500 signatures from Albany residents, and across the state.
SHARE wants the state to use renewable energy as an alternative to heat and power the Empire State Plaza and other downtown buildings.
"Our climate is changing and it's happening because we're burning fossil fuels," Ruth Foster, co-chair for SHARE. "The frack gas power plant in Albany would be a new fossil fuel building and there's no reason to have that when we can do renewables."
The governor’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on the petitions.
And late Tuesday afternoon, NYPA sent this statement to Spectrum News:
"The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has held series of technical review sessions with energy experts, including wind, solar, geothermal, and energy storage experts, and stakeholders, to gather vital information about the applicability of renewable energy technology for this project. We are continuing these technical sessions and then will present these findings to stakeholders and community members to ensure that decisions regarding the future use of the plant are made with input from community and technical experts."