Tom Reed made the following statement after the announcement that the New York State Public Utilities Commission will terminate the 10 year contract between NRG and National Grid to repower the Dunkirk NRG plant. The agreement would have kept the plant in Dunkirk operating. Now Chautauqua County and City of Dunkirk tax payers will be left holding the bag with an idle power plant. 

“It's very frustrating that this NRG plant will close due to the extreme anti-natural gas agenda in Albany. The result is jobs lost, higher electric rates, and higher property taxes - directly harming our community. Our entire region will suffer the negative consequences of a weaker economy - all because of extremists in Albany who are opposed to natural gas telling those of us in places like Dunkirk and Chautauqua County that they know better than we do.  

I will keep standing up for Dunkirk. We care deeply about the community that will feel the devastating effects of these efforts. This is why we have always hoped for the best, which would be the full repowering of NRG, but we have worked as a team to prepare for the worst. With that in mind, we applaud State Senator Cathy Young, Assemblyman Andy Goodell and others for including measures in the state budget to address the immediate negative impacts of the closure.

Our office will continue working with them and other local leaders to ensure that we can bring quality, family-sustaining jobs our region. We will continue exploring new options to obtain federal help for communities directly impacted by coal plant closures and to encourage use of our domestic energy resources such as wind, solar, natural gas and clean coal rather than depending on Middle Eastern oil.”