For Release: Wednesday, June 9, 2010
DEC Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed Policy to Reduce Fish Mortality to July 9
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has extended the public comment period for the "Best Technology Available (BTA) for Cooling Water Intake Structures" draft policy until July 9, 2010.
The draft policy outlines the process for determining BTA and sets performance goals for reducing impacts. BTA determinations are made on a facility specific basis, and certain power plants and other facilities that use water for cooling purposes may need to recycle and reuse that water through a process known as "closed cycle cooling" technology. This will greatly reduce the amount of water withdrawn from New York rivers or other water bodies and, correspondingly, minimize the amount of fish, fish eggs and larvae destroyed in the process. The draft policy and supporting documents and the original press announcement about the draft policy can be found on the DEC website.
Comments submitted before 5 p.m. on July 9 should be sent via mail to: BTA Policy Comments, NYS DEC - Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, Bureau of Habitat, 625 Broadway 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4756; or via email through the website. For more information, contact Christina Dowd at (518) 402-8976 or by mail to NYS DEC Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4756.
