Local Electricity Plants Linked to Global Warming

Three coal-burning electricity plants in Western New York, perennially on the list of the dirtiest plants in the state, were listed among the Northeast’s 10 biggest emitters of a pollutant linked to global warming, according to a study released Tuesday.

AES Somerset in Niagara County and two plants owned by NRG Energy, the Dunkirk plant in Chautauqua County and the Huntley plant in the Town of Tonawanda, were cited in the report prepared by three environmental groups.

The ratings were based on carbon dioxide emissions in 2004. Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas, is one of the causes of global warming.

AES Somerset released 4.1 million metric tons, Dunkirk 3.2 million and Huntley 3 million, according to the report.

Earlier this year, the owners of Huntley and Dunkirk, under state pressure, agreed to reduce some pollutants by burning cleaner coal, installing pollution controls and shutting down older, inefficient generation units.

The 10 plants cited produced a third of the Northeast’s carbon dioxide emissions, according to the report, which was prepared by the National Association of State Public Interest Research Groups, the Clean Water Fund and Environmental Advocates of New York.