Tonawanda, New York, United States: The Closure of the Huntley Generating Station and Community-led Efforts for a Prosperous Future

The document details how the Huntley Alliance, a coalition of labor, environmental, and community groups, responded to the closure of the Huntley Generating Station in Tonawanda, New York. It highlights the successful lobbying for the Electric Generation Facility Cessation Mitigation Fund to offset tax losses and the development of the 'Tonawanda Tomorrow' economic action plan to diversify the local economy and redevelop waterfront property.

• The closure of the Huntley Generating Station, which had a total capacity of over 800 MW, led to significant economic decline in Tonawanda, including a 60% reduction in the plant's workforce and the closure of three public schools between 2008 and 2012.
• The Huntley Alliance successfully lobbied the New York Legislature to establish the Electric Generation Facility Cessation Mitigation Fund, the first of its kind in the US, to compensate local governments and school districts for property tax losses resulting from plant closures.
• The Electric Generation Facility Cessation Mitigation Program provides a seven-year payment schedule using Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative auction proceeds, offering 80% reimbursement of lost tax revenues in the first year, decreasing by 10% annually thereafter.
• In 2017, the town released 'Tonawanda Tomorrow: Growing the Town’s Economic Future,' a strategic plan developed with a U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to attract new industries, emphasize clean energy investment, and redevelop 93 acres of waterfront property.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Tonawanda, New York, United States: The Closure of the Huntley Generating Station and Community-led Efforts for a Prosperous Future. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/tonawanda-new-york-united-states-closure-huntley-generating-station-and-community-led

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Tonawanda, New York, United States: The Closure of the Huntley Generating Station and Community-led Efforts for a Prosperous Future. 2021. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/tonawanda-new-york-united-states-closure-huntley-generating-station-and-community-led.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Tonawanda, New York, United States: The Closure of the Huntley Generating Station and Community-led Efforts for a Prosperous Future |date=1 April 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/tonawanda-new-york-united-states-closure-huntley-generating-station-and-community-led |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021tonawanda, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Tonawanda, New York, United States: The Closure of the Huntley Generating Station and Community-led Efforts for a Prosperous Future}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/tonawanda-new-york-united-states-closure-huntley-generating-station-and-community-led}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }