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NRG in the News
© 2001 The Gobbler, by
Karen Harvey
Editir's Note: The following is the content of an email
from Karen Harvey. She and her husband Roy are involved
with organizing the Greens in Chautauqua County.
Summary: NRG makes 25% profit. Chautauqua County
residents will pay the taxes NRG doesn't pay. The tax increase
will be especially hard on Dunkirk and its school district where
NRG's 600 MW plant is located. The majority of the county's
Democratic legislators (as well as the Dunkirk GOP committee)
are opposed to the tax break. The Chautauqua County Industrial
Development Agency (IDA) agrees to the tax break for the world's
5th largest energy manufacturer, not even considering, in their
negotiations, the extraordinary profitability of NRG/Dunkirk
under deregulation. This is a backyard example of corporate
welfare.
Electricity is vital, like air and water. NRG
has threatened to shut down. Several alternatives go unexplored
by the IDA, especially the use of eminent domain to buy the
plant and create municipal power. Dunkirk's station is the second
most efficient plant in the state according to state tax officials.
Public power would return the benefits to the community.
NRG in the news:
AP Mar 23: California state auditor says electricity
producers (including NRG) manipulated electricity prices by
withholding supplies and overcharging under deregulation. California
is working with federal regulators to require producers to return
$6.2 billion to consumers.
AP Mar 30: NRG is part of lawsuit against New
York State. NRG has challenged new state law aimed at fighting
acid rain. The law imposes a penalty on the sale of sulfur dioxide
pollution credits. "These masked marauders want to allow their
companies to continue subjecting New Yorkers with a double shot
of acid rain," said state senator Carl Marcellino. "One shot
from their smoke stacks and another when they traded their pollution
credits to other upwind polluters."
Palladium Times, Oswego, New York, Oct. 13,
1999: NRG shouldn't be allowed to buy the Oswego Steam Station,
the city said. Paul Nolan, city attorney, says they are "buying
it to cannibalize its $25 million worth of air-pollution credits
for use at plants in Huntley and Dunkirk."
Las Vegas Sun, Jan 17, 2001: To protect people
of Nevada against big rate increases and power shortages, the
state will delay the sale of coal-fired generating plants to
out-of-state companies ( NRG). A State spokesperson said, "This
will provide the governor and the Legislature an opportunity
to explore alternatives to the complete deregulation of the
electricity market in Nevada and to look at nonprofit public
power that could operate the plants to meet Nevada's energy
needs."
Reuters, Mar 5, 2001:Electricity distributors
in an effort to protect customers from price spikes this summer
will ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to
prevent NRG and other producers from abusing their market power
in New York City. The delivery companies want safeguards to
market power abuses.
For those interested in contacting email
Karen (harvey@cecomet.net)
or call (716) 753-7062
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