CONFERENCE: Focus is Justice in Huntley Plant Transition

Clean Air  -- Organizing for Health and Justice

Presents a Conference 

Just Transition: Good Jobs and Healthy Communities

Conference seeks Justice in Huntley Power Plant Transition

The conference will feature some of the nation’s leading experts in movement building, coal finance, just transition, renewable energy, and sustainable and democratic community development.

The conference kicks off at 10:00am on June 7th and will conclude with a happy hour at 5:30pm. It will be hosted at the NYS United Teachers offices at 270 Essjay Road in Williamsville.

Participation is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Register today at www.JustTransition.com.

Presenters include:

Les Leopold, the director of the Labor Institute, strategic consultant to the Blue-Green Alliance, and author of author of How to Make a Million Dollars an Hour: Why Financial Elites get away with siphoning off America’s Wealth.

Jean Pogge is the CEO of Delta Institute that is leading the Fisk and Crawford Reuse Task Force, a committee that will work to solicit community input and economic development and job creation alternatives for the land on which the Fisk and Crawford power plant used to be.

Sean Sweeney is the Director and founder of the Global Labor Institute, a program of the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations and works with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy.

After the release of the recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis that painted a dim future for the Huntley coal plant, Clean Air held a series of community assemblies in the city and town of Tonawanda, Grand Island, and Riverside to vision a “just transition” in case of the plant’s closure. Nearly 100 impacted residents, workers, and climate change activists came together to vision a resilient future for our region if the NRG Huntley coal plant were to retire. The conference will build on the ideas and relationships that were generated at the assemblies.

Together, we can ensure that if the plant retires workers are protected, new revenue is secured for our schools and local governments, and the property is redeveloped to meet our community’s needs. Questions? Call Clean Air at 716-852-3813.

To view a news report on the upcoming conference, click here. 

Assemblies Seek Justice in Huntley Plant Transition

Huntley, located in the Town of Tonawanda, is Erie County's largest coal-burning power plant. A recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis stated Huntley "does not appear to be financially viable."  The report estimates that the plant was making $110 million a year as recently as 2005. However, the plant lost $1 million per year between 2009 and 2012.

The report goes on to call on community and corporate leadership.  We must make sure that if the plant retires, that workers at the plant and residents who live near the plant are protected. We must make sure that new revenue is secured for our schools and local governments, and for a clean-up of the waterfront property.

Join us for a "Just Transition" Assembly where we will: Share the financial report about Huntley; Brainstorm what residents, workers, and local governments will need in the future;  Identify community priorities.

• SATURDAY, March 1, 3pm: Boys and Girls Club, 54 Riverdale Rd., Town of Tonawanda

• MONDAY, March 3, 6pm: Grand Island Memorial Library, 1715 Bedell Rd., Grand Island

• THURSDAY, March 6, 6pm: Northwest Community Center, 155 Lawn Ave., Buffalo [Map]

• THURSDAY, March 13, 6pm: Tonawanda City Hall, 200 Niagara St., City of Tonawanda [Map]

TRANSITION with JUSTICE - a note from the Editor:
A "Just Transition" means ensuring sustainable economic opportunity for workers and the local community without sacrificing anyone’s health or the global climate. The transition would likely need to include worker retraining and financial assistance from the state to account for lost tax revenues. The specifics of any transition plan need to be determined by the plant’s workers and the community including labor, residents and officials.