LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Reconsider the Beacon Island project

Dear Editor,

I am writing to bring to light crucial discussions from the Port of Albany Board of Commissioners meeting on April 26, 2024. During this meeting, a consultant presented compelling arguments against the continuation of the Wind Tower manufacturing project on Beacon Island. Despite the site’s significant environmental and logistical shortcomings, it appears that state pressure continues to push this flawed project forward.

The consultant highlighted several key issues with the Beacon Island site: the river is neither deep nor wide enough to support such manufacturing activities, there is a lack of a substantial local labor force, and the distance from the NYC Offshore Wind site negates any intended reduction in CO2 emissions. He urged the Board to explore alternative locations and products, emphasizing that the valuable contacts made through the Beacon Island project could be leveraged elsewhere.

Chief Counsel for the Port expressed frustration, stating, “The State was pushing the project, and [he] could not believe that the project is not going through.” This sentiment underscores the disconnect between state ambitions and the project’s practical and environmental realities.

A year prior, on March 27, 2023, the Board’s Chief Financial Officer raised concerns that the Wind Tower project was ballooning to three times its original budget. The Program Manager attributed some of the cost overruns to the magnitude of contamination on the site, which required an additional 70-80 soil borings and the removal of 9,100 tons of contaminated soil, with more to be removed. Despite their apparent surprise at the extent of the contamination, the project continued.

It is deeply troubling that despite the clear evidence of environmental hazards, escalating costs, and logistical impracticalities, the state continues to push this project forward. The environmental, financial, and ethical implications are too significant to ignore.

We urge state officials and the Port of Albany Board of Commissioners to reconsider the Beacon Island project. Alternative locations and products must be evaluated to ensure that public funds are used responsibly, and that environmental and community health are not compromised.

Sylvia Rowlands

June 14, 2024

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