Senior Senator talks tough

It may be old, inefficient, and purveyor of pollutants. But US Senator Charles Schumer feels the 58 years old Russell Station power plant is very much worth saving.

Schumer is demanding that a Spanish firm which plans to buy Energy East (which currently owns Russell Station) make clear their intent regarding the hulking plant on the shore of Lake Ontario in Greece.  What's more, he says he wants Iberdrola Inc. to follow through on prior plans by Energy East to spend up to 600-million dollars to convert the coal burning plant into a more efficient, less polluting natural gas powered facility.

He says his own attempts to get that commitment have been met by only "vague" responses from Iberdola.
 
"Unless we get concrete assurances about re-doing the plant in the right way, about keeping rates down, and about cleaning up the air then I will do everything I can to block this merger," Schumer said.

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