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Residents, Clergy Hold Vigil Near Cuomo's Home, Seeking To Protect Planet

More than 80 faith leaders and residents gathered in prayer for "a safe and healthy future for all New York state residents and for our planet home" outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's home in New Castle on Sunday, Feb. 25. 

More than 80 people held a prayer vigil on Sunday outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's home in New Castle, imploring the governor to protect the planet over gas drilling or pipeline projects..

More than 80 people held a prayer vigil on Sunday outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's home in New Castle, imploring the governor to protect the planet over gas drilling or pipeline projects..

Photo Credit: Provided
More than 80 people held a prayer vigil on Sunday outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's home in New Castle, imploring the governor to protect the planet over gas drilling or pipeline projects..

More than 80 people held a prayer vigil on Sunday outside Gov. Andrew Cuomo's home in New Castle, imploring the governor to protect the planet over gas drilling or pipeline projects..

Photo Credit: Provided
A closeup of one of Sunday's prayer vigil signs highlighting the group's concern about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's energy policies and politics.

A closeup of one of Sunday's prayer vigil signs highlighting the group's concern about Gov. Andrew Cuomo's energy policies and politics.

Photo Credit: Provided

Led by the founders of the grassroots group, Healing and Protecting Our Land Together: A Call to Prayer, the attendees asked Cuomo to “walk the talk on his commitment for the environment and to demonstrate the courage to be a true climate leader," the group said in a news statement.

They asked him to release the risk assessment of the Enbridge/Spectra AIM high-pressure transmission gas pipeline at Indian Point that Cuomo called for two years ago when the group first gathered outside the governor's home in Westchester. Though Indian Point is projected to close by 2021, the catastrophic risks posed by a potential pipeline explosion remain due to the 2,700 tons of radioactive spent fuel rods stored indefinitely on-site, vigil members said.

They also asked Cuomo to halt all fossil fuel infrastructure projects like the CPV gas power plant, the Atlantic Bridge project, the Cricket Valley gas power plant, the Valley Lateral pipeline, Williams Rockaway pipeline and others, and to instead transition New York state to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Paola Dalle Carbonare, co-founder of Healing and Protecting Our Land Together: A Call to Prayer, said, “We are here for the millions of people whose lives are at risk by a pipeline running by their homes or their children’s school and who have to live in constant fear of a possible accident."

Pramilla Malick, chair of Protect Orange County and a candidate for state Senate, said, “As the Percoco trial revealed the sordid details of the corruption scheme that traded away public health and safety for hefty campaign donations and to stuff the pockets of Cuomo staff, communities throughout Orange County were pummeled by noxious fumes from the CPV power plant at the center of the charges."

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