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LOCKPORT, N.Y. -- Eighty environmental organizations signed a letter Monday urging New York state agencies, including Empire State Development, the state Power Authority and the Department of Environmental Conservation to reject public subsidies for SRI CV Plastics, a company that wants to build a new factory in the town of Lockport.
Beyond Plastics National Organizing Director Alexis Goldsmith, whose organization is leading the pushback, said the company could be seeking as much as $300,000 in state tax breaks and incentives.
"It's unclear where they're seeking those subsidies from," she said. "We've heard the New York Power Authority so that is why we've addressed this letter today broadly."
SRI CV is proposing manufacturing single-use plastic packaging and utensils. The letter emphasized incentivizing that production would be at odds with the environmental conservation efforts the state has recently made.
"Building a new plastic production facility for single-use food packaging and utensils is just counter to the way the state is moving. It's counter to the state climate law. It's counter to the DEC solid waste management plan and it's counter to public opinion," Goldsmith said.
She said these agencies should also consider the potential health and safety ramifications chemicals used in plastic production could have on factory workers and Lockport residents, as well as the unusual circumstances surrounding the company's application for roughly $300,000 more in subsidies from the town Industrial Development Agency. SRI CV revised its application to no longer include PVC pipe production after a SUNY professor at a public comment session drew attention to a study summary the company included, touting the safety of the product, appeared to be fake and generated by artificial intelligence.
"It's unclear why they pulled PVC from their application or they amended their application to remove all mention of PVC. (It) could be a mix of the AI study, could be a mix of public pushback," she said.
Single Screw The town application is still pending with no other public comment sessions scheduled. Beyond Plastics and others continue to oppose any government subsidies, state and local, to the company.