Letter: Why Poquott Should Be Included in Port Jefferson Repowering Decisions

Kathleen Matthews is a trustee for the Village of Poquott, and chair of the management committee for the Stephen D. Matthews Nature Preserve for the Three Village Community Trust.

The Village of Poquott has a power plant in its back yard – the same one that Port Jefferson borders on, even though their closest residential properties are twice as far from the turbines as ours are.

For over 65 years they have collected PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) in addition to property taxes each year. In 2010 the payout totaled $25 million, collected as a surcharge on everyoneʼs monthly LIPA bills. Property taxes in Port Jefferson are half that of a comparable house in Poquott, and our Three Village School District, which is much larger, made due without the $14.3 million subsidy that the Port Jefferson S.D. received last year (48 percent of their school budget). Residents of PJ also get subsidies for roads, the Village Center, library, and fire department as part of this largesse.

However, pollution, noise, traffic, and viewshed do not respect property lines.

Poquott resident Alyssa Kagel won a National Merit Scholarship for research showing the higher prevalence of respiratory illnesses in residents of Poquott compared to that of a similar community away from the plant. In the early 2000ʻs we fought valiantly to prevent the addition of two “peaker plants” to provide 80 more megawatts of additional power during peak electric usage, but we lost. Port Jefferson remained silent and uninvolved, and gained from the increased valuation.

Recognizing the injustices throughout the years, KeySpanʼs Community Relations representative, Vinnie Frigeria, currently at NYPA, helped broker a settlement with Poquott in which we received $100,000 for renovations to our Village Hall, and the protection under a conservation easement to the Three Village Community Trust of the 10.7-acre buffer now owned by National Grid. While we are grateful, the compensation to Poquott is a mere gesture compared with the annual dispersement Port Jefferson has received over the years.

Poquott is very empathetic to the concerns Port Jefferson faces if their major income source dries up, but feel we should be part of any solution.

The cost to repower the Port Jefferson plant has been estimated at up to $685 million. If amortized over 20 years, LIPA ratepayers will actually pay several billion dollars. The use of green technology would decrease the emission rate of pollutants, but that does not mean a decrease in total emissions if the output is increased to almost double, as is projected. It is much more than the five percent of capacity currently produced.

Poquott has many unanswered questions. The Port Jefferson plant had previously been judged to have too small a footprint to qualify for repowering. Does the re-evaluation of space include the 10.7 acres allocated to the Trust? By increasing use of the available space, what would be the effect on Poquott and the Preserve of closer proximity to the noise, pollutants, and visual presence? Would the current facilities be removed? If it's considered a brownfield, how would we be protected from toxic substances being released into groundwater and air during the process? Has a hard look at future fossil fuel needs been taken, particularly in light of New York Stateʼs commitment to a goal of 30 percent alternative energy? Are ratepayers getting locked into expensive, long term contracts when less capacity may therefore be needed?

As was stated in the public meeting on Feb. 17, Port Jeffersonʼs priority is “to vigorously pursue repowering so that a taxable asset remains in the community.” The Port Jefferson Task Force consists of representatives of the village, the school district, the library, the fire department and the Village of Belle Terre. As stakeholders, why has Poquott not been consulted on a decision that will have such a major impact on its residents? Are private, closed-door negotiations with LIPA in the best interest of all the ratepayers?

Port Jefferson has hired a public relations/political lobbying firm, EPOCH5, to launch and run their campaign for repowering. State Sen. Ken LaValle, R-Port Jefferson, who lives in Port Jefferson, stated in that meeting: “There will be a political solution.” Politics should have nothing to do with creating a plan that takes the needs of all stakeholders into account.