Melanie Lekocevic reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Coeymans town officials held a jam-packed press conference Dec. 27 to announce their opposition to a proposal to burn 116,000 tons of Connecticut garbage every year at the Lafarge cement plant. “What is not recycled would be sent to the Lafarge plant in Ravena where it would be shredded and then burned in the cement kiln. We just learned about this two weeks ago from a national environmental group in Pennsylvania,” said Judith Enck, an environmental advocate from Rensselaer County, and a former official with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Coeymans Town Supervisor Phil Crandall said, “We need to pause here. There has been no effective environmental review of the cumulative impact of all present and planned industrial activity in the town. Instead, trees are being clear cut, cattails are being cut down, heavily laden semis are crowding our narrow roads.... Now we are being told to accept 116,000 tons of garbage for burning. Where is this leading? Will it leave Hudson Valley residents any healthier? I think not.” Lafarge previously released a statement claiming that it is no longer considering doing business with Mustang Renewable Power Ventures, and that Lafarge was included in the proposal “without our consent,” according to plant manager Dave Fletcher. But there was no company representative at the press conference. Town Councilman Tom Dolan said the company had not officially ruled out the proposal. “I think the company planned on going forward until local residents heard about this. It’s kind of obvious,” Enck said. “This went through two levels of approval in Connecticut. They are seriously considering this.” Read the full story at HudsonValley360.com.