Letter to the Editor
Although I live in Texas, I grew up in the Owego-Apalachin area. I have been on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspections and can say Houston oil companies (I have no specific information on Twin Tier Power, LLC) are notoriously dirty plants. Your natural gas supply will most likely come via pressurized gas lines that run under the Mississippi River. This area is heavily faulted and an earthquake there, which is extremely likely according to the USGS National Earthquake Information Center (http://neic.usgs.gov/), would leave your area and all of the east coast without natural gas supplies.
So I ask you, do you have local resources for your natural gas? Are all EPA guidelines being met? Is the plant trading clean air "chits" with other companies? Is this a government or privately owned facility? What kind of waste will this plant discharge and what are its plans for cleaning it before release? The EPA has regulations for all of these subjects, as does your state. Contact the EPA at http://www.epa.gov/ and find out the facts.
Katie Fairweather
BS Emergency Administration and Disaster Planning
The Community Press