Faith Groups Hold Environmental Vigil At NY Governor's House

MOUNT KISCO, NY — A vigil Sunday afternoon brought more than 80 faith leaders and residents together outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's home to pray for a safe and healthy future for all New York residents and the whole planet. Organizers said the event was led by the founders of the grassroots group, Healing and Protecting Our Land Together: A Call to Prayer.

The attendees asked our governor to “Walk The Talk” on his commitment for the environment, according to their press release afterward.

Specifically, they asked him to release a risk assessment of the Enbridge/Spectra AIM high-pressure transmission gas pipeline at Indian Point, saying that he called for it two years ago when they gathered at his home for the first vigil on Feb. 28, 2016. Though Indian Point is projected to close by 2021, they say the risks posed by a potential pipeline explosion remain due to the radioactive spent fuel rods stored indefinitely on-site.

They discount the 2015 conclusions by the Federal Energy Regulation Commission and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that precautions and distances preclude any problem for Indian Point from the pipeline.

They also asked Cuomo to halt all fossil fuel infrastructure projects like the CPV gas power plant, the Atlantic Bridge project, the Cricket Valley gas power plant, the Valley Lateral pipeline, Williams Rockaway pipeline and others.

They called for the state to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Paola Dalle Carbonare, cofounder of Healing and Protecting Our Land Together: A Call to Prayer, said, “We are gathering once again at our Governor’s home with our open hearts, envisioning and encouraging true leadership! While we respect our elected officials and their need for privacy, we are practicing our constitutional right for peaceful gathering. We are here for the millions of people whose lives are at risk by a pipeline running by their homes or their children’s school and who have to live in constant fear of a possible accident. We are also here for the families who have to live with toxic compressor stations and climate-disrupting gas plants in their neighborhoods who are getting sick and whose livelihoods are disrupted as they are forced to consider moving their homes elsewhere. We are here to pray and support the Governor in finding the strength and the courage to show leadership today as his father, the Hon. Mario Cuomo did when he shut down the Shoreham Nuclear Plant as it was a danger to his constituents.”

Pramilla Malick, Chair of Protect Orange County, Board Member of the New York Progressive Action Network, 2018 State Senate Candidate for Senate District 42 said, “As the Percoco trial revealed the sordid details of the corruption scheme that traded away public health and safety for hefty campaign donations and to stuff the pockets of Cuomo staff, communities throughout Orange County were pummeled by noxious fumes from the CPV power plant at the center of the charges. Pay-to-play seems to be the Albany way but when fossil fuel lobbyists play the game it has real life and death consequences and we must draw a red line of resistance.”

Sponsored by: Healing & Protecting Our Land Together: A Call to Prayer, Food & Water Watch, SAPE, SEnRG, ResistSpectra, Protect Orange County

PHOTO/ contributed