The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has agreed to extend the public comment period for a proposed rail expansion project at a waste-to-energy facility in Niagara Falls.
In an announcement posted on the agency's information page for the Covanta Niagara project, DEC's Region 9 office announced that residents will have an additional 30 days to submit comments. DEC spokesman Peter Constantakes said the new deadline for submitting comments is Nov. 10.
Covanta Niagara has been converting waste into clean renewable energy since 1980. The waste-to-energy facility incinerates municipal garbage. The electricity and steam produced at the facility supplies surrounding businesses and the regional electrical grid.
The company has applied for a permit modification through the DEC as part of a proposal to to renovate an inactive, 15-acre rail yard adjacent to the existing facility’s property. According to the DEC’s website listing for the application, the expansion will “more efficiently deliver up to 500,000 tons per year of waste by train in place of delivering the waste by truck.”