TONAWANDA, N.Y. --NRG Energy has moved one step closer to closing the Huntley plant and nearly 80 people could be out of a job by March of next year. The plant's closing could reduce Tonawanda's tax base by an estimated $3 million.
"Huntley is the single biggest polluter in Erie County and the going away of a coal-powered plant will improve the environment. On the state level, we provided $19 million for the transition for coal power plants to help municipalities. The town of Tonawanda will be eligible for that funding and I'll do everything in my power to make sure that the state delegation supports the people of Tonawanda to replace those tax dollars," said New York State Senator Marc Panepinto.
Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District Board President Jill O'Malley said the entire town will be affected by the Huntley closure but she hopes that local officials will make funding schools a priority.
"We're in this point where we're sort of collecting information and working with our local officials to figure out what the best move is. Of course, there's this pot of 19 million dollars that everybody's going to want to have a little piece of and we're hoping that our local officials will stand up for Ken-Ton and help us to offset the losses that will be experiencing over the next few years if Huntley closes," says O'Malley.
The plant in Dunkirk may also be in jeopardy of closing. In February, competitor Entergy filed a lawsuit to stop the plant from producing natural gas. NRG East Region Spokesperson David Gaier says it could take years for the lawsuit to be settled, causing uncertainty about the future of the plant.
"We have no idea when and if this lawsuit will be resolved and it's not prudent for us to continue to invest many millions of dollars of capital into a project that could ultimately be invalidated in court," says David Gaier, NRG East Region Spokesperson.
There are 66 jobs on the line if the NRG plant in Dunkirk closes. In Tonawanda, LaMonica Peters, Time Warner Cable News.