If its performance during a scrimmage game last Saturday afternoon at the Town of Pembroke football field is any indication of future success, this season’s version of the Genesee County Spartans will do very well in the Northeastern Football Alliance semipro league.
The Spartans rolled past the Auburn Pride, 34-6, getting a pair of touchdowns from running back Jed Reese and TD passes from quarterbacks Alex Rood and Corey Turpin.
“The 34 points is the most we’ve ever scored, so from that aspect it was a great tune-up for the season opener on June 1 (against the visiting Lockport Wildcats, 3:30 p.m.),” Spartans Head Coach Harry Rascoe said. “Overall, our new organizational push to create a better team on and off the field really showed.”
Receivers Jazon Henderson and Rayshawn Huitt caught touchdowns passes while fellow wideout Deyonci Farley led all players with in receiving yards, said Rascoe, noting the QB competition will continue right through to the first regular season game.
On defense, Anthony Natrigo recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown, while Cody Wenner and Max Rapone each had an interception and Karen Marucci and Matt Dillon forced fumbles. Gunner Rapone led the way in tackles, with newcomers Ryley Elliott and Jalen White also leading the way.
New kicker, Julie Petry, was good on four of five extra point attempts.
NEW LISTING!! 3220 Broadway Road, Alexander. Fantastic solid country ranch ready to go! This well taken care of home was completely gutted and remodeled 10 years ago, so has little to nothing for the new owner to do but move in. Home has great curb appeal with double wide drive and open front porch and attached garage. When entering you are welcomed into oversized, tiled mud room, with first floor laundry, large pantry closet and half bath! From there you step into BEAUTIFUL open kitchen with gorgeous hickory cupboards and granite counter tops and oversized kitchen island for meal prep and entertaining! Bright and open large living/dining area with pretty hardwood floors throughout which leads you to screened enclosed back porch overlooking very pretty back yard and patio area! This home is located in Alexander School District and is perfect for starters or downsizers and is conveniently located for quick and easy commute to Buffalo or Batavia and with all the rural charm and peacefulness that you are looking for! Call Lynn Bezon today, 585-344-HOME (4663).
Batavia High School Production Club. Photo by Jason Smith.
Press Release:
The Batavia City School District (BCSD) is proud to acknowledge the Batavia High School Production Club’s recent success at the Rochester Broadway Theater League’s (RBTL) Stars of Tomorrow Competition held on Friday, May 10.
BHS was recognized for its March 2024 production of Footloose.
45 schools in the Rochester area participated in this year’s competition, and Batavia High School’s production of Footloose received the following recognition from the RBTL:
Excellence in Acting Ensemble
Excellence in Vocal Ensemble
Excellence in Dance Ensemble
Excellence in Student Orchestra
Additionally, all of BHS’s eligible leads were recognized for Excellence in a Leading Role:
Lilyana Burke
Melania deSa e Frias
Ephraim Hanna
Gavynn Trippany
Peyton Woeller
Kate Woodward
BHS Production Club Director Caryn Wood individually submitted honorees for “Future Star” and “Director’s Special Recognition.”
“Future Stars” are middle or elementary school students who are recognized by their directors for Outstanding Individual Performances in their high school musical.
Adam Jursted was honored by Batavia. “Adam is a 6th grader and already in his second show with BHS Production Club. He is developing into a wonderful performer, but he is also just a fantastic young man. His smile and one-liner comebacks are notorious to everyone in our club. He is wonderful to work with, and he lights up the stage every time he steps onto it. We are so grateful that Adam joined our cast once again this year,” said Caryn Wood.
“Director’s Special Recognition” is for those going above and beyond in the production of their show.
Ayden Carlson and Emerson Fitch were honored by Batavia. “Ayden Carlson has been an MVP member of BHS Drama and Production Clubs since their freshman year. They have shown amazing growth as a performer but are also a phenomenal friend and support to their peers. Ayden brings fantastic character to every role they have played. They are kind, honest, and work extremely hard to help make all scenes they appear in better for everyone in them. Ayden is one of our very talented senior performers; we will miss them so much next year,” said Caryn Wood.
"As a new member of the BHS Production Club, Emerson Fitch has brought amazing energy to our group. She is always willing to pitch in and help, and she is a very strong performer. She brings brightness and enthusiasm to every scene she appears in and is a wonderful role model to her peers. Emerson always goes the extra mile to support her fellow cast members. We want to thank Emerson for being such a wonderful and positive member of this cast,” said Caryn Wood.
Superintendent Jason Smith had this to say about the club’s recent recognition: “I couldn’t be more proud of our BHS Production Club’s achievements at this year’s Stars of Tomorrow competition. The club’s production of Footloose was incredibly fun and dynamic, and I’m not surprised RBTL recognized this talented group of students. Special thanks to Caryn Wood for her longtime dedication and commitment to this wonderful program at BHS.”
“The BHS Production Club and cast of our musical Footloose were excited to participate in the RBTL Stars of Tomorrow Program this year,” said Caryn Wood. “It’s a great opportunity for our students to perform on a professional stage and receive well-deserved love and support from other performance students across the region. Our cast, crew, and musicians all deserve continual kudos and congratulations for their energetic, brave, and outstanding production of Footloose earlier this year. It was a wonderful night full of performances and displays of shared community. Every participating school district should be extraordinarily proud of the amazing student performers and their awesome compassionate support of one another.”
At the annual Stars of Tomorrow Recognition Ceremony, participating schools have the opportunity to perform a selection from their musical on stage at the Auditorium Theatre. Recognition is given to schools with the highest scores in each of the adjudicated categories, and students are given a chance to shine. Additionally, select students recognized for leading roles at the Stars of Tomorrow Ceremony are eligible to compete in Stars of Tomorrow NYC Bound for the chance to represent Rochester, at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards.”
More information on the Rochester Broadway Theater League’s Stars of Tomorrow, including participating schools and productions, can be found here.
The City of Batavia Fire Department would like to announce that Firefighter Craig Huntoon will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant effective June 12.
Firefighter Huntoon has served the residents of the City of Batavia since 2019. Prior to that, he was an Aircraft Rescue Firefighter in the Marine Corps.
He has continually displayed a great deal of fire service knowledge and leadership ability. He has been and will continue to be an asset in his new role as Lieutenant for the 4th Platoon.
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors has selected Mark Masse, the GCEDC’s Senior Vice President of Operations, as the organization’s next President and CEO, the agency announced on its social media site Wednesday.
The just-announced appointment was unanimously approved at the GCEDC’s May 2 board meeting. Masse will succeed Steve Hyde, who announced in April that he is retiring on August 1 after over 21 years and over 500 projects during his tenure as President and CEO.
“Mark’s leadership alongside Steve has produced a period of unprecedented investment and growth, and he was the clear choice to lead the GCEDC into the future,” said GCEDC Board Chair Pete Zeliff. “We are impressed with Mark’s capability to both guide a seamless transition as we accomplish the projects currently under development and to pursue a vision for the future growth of Genesee County.”
Since joining the GCEDC in 2010, Masse has provided leadership and direct project management, working with the organization’s civil engineering firm and finance staff, leading the way in the development, infrastructure deployment, financing, and management of the organization’s portfolio of real estate assets.
He has been responsible for the permitting, engineering, and infrastructure deployment at the STAMP mega-site in the Town of Alabama, including projects that are investing $1 billion between the renewables manufacturing and semiconductor industries and a 600-megawatt 345kV-to-115kV substation.
“Mark is more than ready to take the reins of leadership at the GCEDC,” said Hyde. “As he has demonstrated with developments large and small, Mark has the talent, experience, and readiness to lead our organization during a critical time. Private and public investment is at an all-time high as the GCEDC, Genesee County, and New York State build a semiconductor and advanced manufacturing economy.”
Masse graduated from Nazareth University of Rochester with an accounting degree. He is a certified public accountant licensed in New York State and had 15 years of experience at Freed, Maxick & Battaglia prior to his tenure at the GCEDC. He is a 2002 graduate of the Leadership Genesee program and a 2012 Buffalo Business First Forty Under Forty award winner.
Masse has also served on the Economic Development Committee and the Public Market Committee for the Downtown Business Improvement District in Batavia, as well as serving as a Board Member for the Batavia Development Corporation.
“I want to thank the board for this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing the historic economic development advancements made by Genesee County under Steve with the support of the members of the GCEDC team,” said Masse.
Welcome Home to 14 Washington Avenue, Batavia.First time on the market in over 50+ years! This charming home features gleaming hardwood floors throughout, the kitchen has a generous amount of counter space, a newly updated bathroom with a luxurious tile surround, and a rainfall showerhead. With a first-floor bedroom and laundry, this home offers convenience and ease. The spacious living and family rooms are perfect for entertaining guests. Step outside to the outdoor back patio and easily maintainable lot, ideal for relaxing or hosting gatherings. The full basement provides ample storage space. Plus, enjoy the convenience of the recently updated mudroom. Don't miss out on this rare opportunity! Offers due Tuesday 5/21 at noon. Call Sunny Rathod today.
UPDATE: Xavier Ricks has been located and is safe.
Press release:
The Batavia Police Department is seeking public assistance in locating a runaway 15-year-old boy.
Xavier Ricks was last seen on April 26 in Batavia. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes.
Xavier is about 5'11", 130 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350 or the NYS Missing Persons Clearinghouse at 1-800-346-3543. Tips can also be submitted by clicking the "submit a tip" button at the bottom of this post on bataviapolice.org.
It’s been a decade since the arrival of “Take Me To Church,” the crossover hit single that made Hozier a worldwide star and established the native of Wicklow County in Ireland as a new artist to watch on the music scene.
The video for the song was posted on You Tube on Sept. 25, 2013 and almost immediately went viral.
This response got the attention of bigger worldwide labels, and Hozier was signed by Columbia Records in America, which released Hozier’s self-titled debut album in September 2014.
“Take Me To Church,” naturally enough, became the album’s lead single and reached No. 2 on “Billboard” magazine’s all-genre Hot 100 singles chart in December 2014. By the time touring behind the debut album wrapped up in late 2016, the self-titled album had gone double platinum and Hozier was a bona fide star.
Sometimes, though, signature songs like “Take Me To Church” can come with unwelcome side effects. Artists can get judged by the success of a monster hit and mocked if they don’t reach those heights again. Or, the song can wear on artists as they feel required to perform the song at every concert, year after year, from that point forward.
Hozier has no such afflictions when it comes to “Take Me To Church.”
“I was sort of operating from quite an indie or alternative space, and then that song catapulted me into very, very popular spheres in the way it charted. It absolutely changed my life,” Hozier said reflecting on the song in a recent video interview. “And I was pretty proud of it when I wrote it, and what its sort of mission statement was and what I hoped to communicate. In ways, I’m very happy and grateful for that. But if any of my songs can have the sort of reach that that song achieved, I’m very glad that it was ‘Take Me To Church.’”
Despite the song’s impact, the man born 34 years ago as Andrew Hozier-Byrne appears to have evaded being known as the “Take Me To Church guy.” For one thing, he’s had more hit singles – including “From Eden” and “Someone New” from the self-titled album and “Almost (Sweet Music)” from his gold-certified second album, 2019’s “Wasteland, Baby!” And just last month, “Too Sweet,” the single from his newly released EP, “Unheard,” which includes four songs from the same sessions that produced his current full-length album, “Unreal Unearth,” became his first song to top “Billboard” magazine’s all-genre Hot 100 singles chart.
He’s also showing considerable artistic growth. “Unreal Unearth” figures to firmly solidify the notion that he has the talent and creativity to fuel a career that lasts not just years, but decades.
From the start of the project, Hozier wanted to take his sound to new heights, and he worked with a number of songwriters/producers to achieve this objective, with Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, Daniel Tannenbaum and Jennifer Decilveo being primary contributors,
“I knew I wanted it to be broad. I knew I did want to expand into some sort of soundscapes to play with,” Hozier said, noting he wanted to blend vintage synthesizers and other synthetic sounds with strings and other organic instruments. “I kind of didn’t want to limit anything. I just wanted to explore and make sense of it afterwards, let each song be what it needed to be and explore the spaces they needed to explore. In that way, it became kind of expansive and it became varied. I played around with a lot of sonic textures.”
Thematically, “Unreal Unearth” is plenty rich as well. The 16 songs offer a journey from darkness into light that reflects the pandemic experience and also alludes to “Dante’s Inferno” and Dante’s walk through the nine circles of hell. Hozier uses these as a backdrop for lyrics that he said relate to a range of uncertainty and upheaval he experienced himself or witnessed with people he knew, spanning loss and love, feelings of disillusionment and a resolve to recalibrate daily lives to better align with personal goals for work, social lives, family lives and relationships.
“Like any album, if you’re writing from a personal place, you’re processing and sort of exorcising and examining personal experiences over a period of time, or (making) personal observations or whatever of the world around you,” Hozier said. “But these all took place in a very, a lot of these experiences took place in a very, very particular, unique and prescient time for the world, in a pandemic. I wanted to acknowledge and to gesture and sort of credit those conditions of coming into something – the pandemic – and coming out the other side without necessarily writing songs or writing an album that focused specifically on the experience of the lockdown, the experience of the pandemic.”
To translate the kaleidoscopic sound of “Unreal Unearth” (as well as a healthy selection of songs from his first two albums) to the live stage, Hozier has put together a large touring band with plenty of instrumental and vocal versatility.
“There’s nine of us,” he said. “There are two string players. There’s a violin player who also plays guitar, there’s a cello player who also plays guitar, there’s an organ and synth player who is also a Latin percussionist. Yeah, there’s nine of us and everybody is a multi-instrumentalist in some way, shape or form, and everybody is a singer. So we have nine voices on stage and nine multi-instrumentalists.”
Hozier will be playing at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday.
NOTE: Members of Early Access Pass get first crack (four hours earlier access than non-members) at making Deals of the Day purchases. Join Early Access Pass today to ensure you don't miss any valuable deals.
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Problems, questions, concerns about the Deal of the Day? Email Kara Richenberg: kara@thebatavian.com
All motorists please be aware Redfield Parkway, River Street, and Jackson Street will experience traffic delays on Thursday, May 16, Friday, May 17, and Monday, May 20 (respectively), from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for milling operations.
While work is being performed in this area, local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.
All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the operation. All motorists that regularly use these streets are asked to seek alternate routes while the closures are in place.
Contact the Bureau of Maintenance at 585-345-6400 opt. 1 if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.
Phase I parking plan at Alva Place and Bank Street in downtown Batavia. Rendering submitted by City of Batavia
Downtown property owner Sharon Kubiniec made a return visit to City Council Monday evening to remind the elected leaders that, despite the good intentions and efforts made so far to rectify a parking issue around the new police station in progress, “we are not flourishing.”
Taken from the city’s mission statement to create and sustain a vibrant, affordable, safe community that includes a supportive environment where businesses continuously flourish, she emphasized that the last portion was certainly not true for those dozen small business owners since construction began a couple of months ago.
Kubiniec also read through the city’s vision statement, countering with how life has been since work began in the parking lot at Alva Place and Bank Street in downtown Batavia several weeks ago. One portion that states, “our community members will be actively involved in the decision we made and active in bringing our plans to life,” was countered with, “We now know that in March of 2023, the negative state environmental quality review (SEQR) was approved by Batavia City Council. A negative SEQR means that the construction project has no negative effect on the environment,, traffic, and noise level of the area … that the parking lot surrounding the project area will remain open to the public.”
“Each affected business should have received direct notification of the proposed parking lot closure last summer when the plans were finalized.
“You took 85% of our parking,” she said. “We bought these businesses because they had parking.”
“I just want to have a sit-down meeting where I can have a back and forth because I really do believe that you guys can give us answers that will put our fears to rest,” she said during the council’s meeting at City Hall. “I’m not trying to be contentious with you. I'm just trying to gain information. And I don't know how this process works. I've never heard of a SEQR before … I’m just trying to gain information. I don't believe you understand the undue stress that this has placed on the businesses along Washington Avenue. We are all just trying to go to work, do our jobs and make a living every day as each patron, patient, employee and citizen of Batavia approaches us to complain about the egregious lack of parking in our offices.
“We still do not have handicapped parking. We appreciate the new plan to open up one row of parking. But I beg of you that you allow us to have a two-way conversation regarding the next two years, two years that will deeply affect our businesses,” she said. “I want to say my words very carefully because I have no ill will towards anybody. This has just affected my life immensely over the last couple of months. I'm not sleeping; I'm stressed to the max because my property value has changed when trying to sell a business, and that is all halted because our whole parking lot was closed off. That scares people; they don't want to buy businesses in downtown Batavia because they find out our city council can just close a parking lot without any warning.”
She also said that one of their worst fears — patient safety being compromised by using Washington Avenue for handicapped parking — has already happened, with three people falling between their vehicles and the medical office to which they were headed.
“We have cameras on our sidewalks, and our sidewalks right now are being utilized 10 times more than they ever were before. So I have much more traffic on my particular property,” she said. I’m just begging you to have a meeting with the business owners to just sit down because, as I just did with (Police Chief Shawn Heubusch), he was able to put one of our fears to rest by telling us that the employees of the police department will not be parking on the outside, but they will be in that secured facility. So please just sit down with us. That’s all we’re asking. I’m not looking to break anybody; I’m not looking to attack anybody. I just want to get information so that we can put our minds at rest and assure our patients that they’re going to be in a safe environment.”
Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr., a decades-long police officer and retired lieutenant who, in a prior meeting, said he thought some of the protests was in a tone of being against the new police station, asked if the business group had an attorney. Kubiniec said yes.
Jankowski quickly referred the matter to City Attorney George Van Nest, who advised council that since the group had retained counsel that no discussions should take place.
“Under the circumstances, since counsel has been retained, I would suggest to the council it's not prudent to engage in back and forth dialogue if there's a potential litigation threat,” Van Nest said. “The second thing I would say, council, is there was an update issued April 30, relative to phase one, phase two parking. There's nothing more to add to that at this point in time relative to timing. When there are further updates, they’ll be provided by the project team.”
The business group had initially attempted to seek answers from the city and encountered what it called “a gag order,” so it retained an attorney to file a Freedom of Information request so that all involved could read the SEQR and background materials and get those answers, Kubiniec told The Batavian.
“The city responded that, ‘due to the volume of records involved, the city of Batavia will have records available by Sept. 6, 2024.’ This was a disappointing response given that these records are mostly electronic and typically available within 20 days,” she said.
Kubiniec commended Heubusch for being willing to take time and answer some of her questions before the meeting began.
The Batavian reached out to the two at-large council members, Bob Bialkowski and Rich Richmond, and Jankowski for further comment about why the elected city leaders won’t talk to the business owners and if they feel they are representing the city’s vision statement for businesses.
Jankowski passed those questions on to City Manager Rachael Tabelski, who responded later Tuesday afternoon.
“We have engaged in various and multiple discussions with the business owners; the fact is that the business owners have retained counsel, and it would not be prudent for the City to engage in any further dialog at this time,” she said. “We have been open and transparent regarding the plans for the police station and the accommodations the City is making to assist the impacted businesses, which we will continue to do when practical.”
Bialkowski responded to The Batavian and said that “I sympathize with the business owners,” but that it seemed as though the city had done all it could do at this point. He believes that a front row of parking to be used for those with disabilities will be available to those businesses. He didn’t understand, however, why the two sides couldn’t talk just because the business owners have an attorney, as many professionals do.
Richmond did not respond to a request for comment.
The city released an updated parking plan on April 30 in an effort to compromise with its initial layout, which restricted parking for the cluster of businesses along Washington Avenue and State Street. At that time, Dr. Adam Gregor said that while he appreciated the effort, he didn’t believe it was really enough of an improvement. Kubiniec said it was “a step into the right direction” but did need more moving forward.
Batavia First Presbyterian Church is having a LGBTQ healing circle from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday for an “opportunity of storytelling, sharing our truths, and listening to those of others.”
“Be part of a conversation led by trained facilitators as we discover our common humanity, connect with others and find a deeper understanding of the LGBTQ experience,” organizers say.
The event is at 300 E. Main St., Batavia. Light refreshments will be served. To register or for more information, call 585-343-0505.
Plug Power is a New York-based company with headquarters in Lathan. It is a "green hydrogen" company, which means it uses renewable energy sources to convert water into hydrogen fuel, which can be stored in fuel tanks and sold to power vehicles and factory equipment.
In its 20-year history, Plug Power has never turned a profit. It's annual revenue is currently about $800 million. In 2023, the company reported a $1.4 billion loss.
Plug Power is building a $290 million hydrogen energy plant in WNY STAMP, the GCEDC-developed high-tech business park in Alabama. The plant is expected to employ 69 people with an average annual salary of more than $70,000. In exchange for the job creation, the company is anticipating $2 million in grants from New York State.
The company received $118.2 million in sales and property tax exemptions from the Genesee County Economic Development Center. Over the 20-year life of the property tax extensions, Plug Power will make payments in lieu of taxes totaling $2.3 million annually, which will be shared by Genesee County, the Town of Alabama, and the Oakfield-Alabama School District. Each jurisdiction will also receive an increasing amount of property tax payments each year over the life of the agreement.
In March, the DOE awarded Plug Power grants totaling $75.7 million.
The DOE loan, if finalized, is expected to help Plug Power complete the WNY STAMP plant, along with five others in the nation, which is reportedly critical to the company generating the hydrogen fuel sales necessary to start achieving profits.
This phase of the loan guarantee process requires the DOE and Plug Power to negotiate a term sheet, which means "certain technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions, including negotiation of definitive financing documents, must be satisfied before funding of the loan guarantee" (company statement).
“This $1.6 billion federal investment will supercharge Plug’s world-class workforce across Upstate New York as Plug builds new facilities across the nation, all powered by the equipment made in New York. Green hydrogen has the potential to help us decarbonize some of the trickiest parts of our economy – from the industrial sector to marine shipping – and with the major federal investments through the Inflation Reduction Act I championed, Upstate NY is poised to lead the way in powering America’s clean energy future. From the electrolyzers made at Plug’s state-of-the-art Gigafactory in Henrietta, NY to the fuel cells manufactured at Plug’s Capital Region facility, this means new growth, new demand for Plug across Upstate NY. With federal investments like this we are unlocking the potential for green hydrogen to power America’s clean energy future, with Plug and Upstate NY leading the way.”
UPDATE, Press release from the Department of Energy:
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced a conditional commitment to Plug Power Inc.’s (Plug) subsidiary, Plug Power Energy Loan Borrower, LLC, for an up to $1.66 billion loan guarantee to help finance the construction of up to six facilities across several states to produce clean hydrogen utilizing the company’s own electrolyzer technology. Advancing clean hydrogen is a key component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to building a robust clean energy economy that creates healthier communities, strengthens energy security, and delivers new economic opportunities across the nation. Today’s announcement will help unlock the full potential of this versatile fuel and support the growth of strong, American-led industry that ensures the United States remains at the forefront of the global economy for generations to come.
As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to create good-paying, high-quality job opportunities for American workers, this loan guarantee, if finalized, will support an estimated 100-300 jobs during the construction period when at full capacity, and at least 50 new full-time jobs for each location. Together with the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, and ongoing research, development, and demonstration in the DOE Hydrogen Program, this announcement will help strengthen local economies, create and maintain high-quality jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions in sectors critical to meeting U.S. net-zero goals, and enhance America’s manufacturing and industrial competitiveness.
Plug has a development pipeline that includes the build-out of clean hydrogen facilities in several potential locations across the United States to supply its national customer base with end-to-end clean hydrogen at scale. This conditional commitment advances President Biden’s efforts to strengthen domestic clean energy supply chains, which are essential to meeting the nation’s ambitious climate goals and enhancing our national and energy security. If finalized, the project will support an integrated and resilient commercial scale clean hydrogen fueling network across several regions of the United States.
The hydrogen fuel from the project is expected to power fuel cell-electric vehicles used in the material handling, transportation, and industrial sectors, resulting in an estimated 84% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional hydrogen production, which derives hydrogen from natural gas (CH4) and ultimately produces carbon dioxide (CO2). The benefits of harnessing hydrogen fuel cells in applications such as material handling equipment include enhanced operational efficiency, reduced environmental impact through zero-emission operations, and increased productivity due to faster refueling times compared to conventional batteries. Major corporations such as Amazon, Walmart, and Home Depot use Plug’s hydrogen fuel cells across their warehouse and distribution centers.
The clean hydrogen facilities will utilize Plug’s electrolyzer stacks that are manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art gigafactory in Rochester, NY, and will use modular designs to ensure a resilient hydrogen fuel delivery network. Plug is among the leading commercial-scale manufacturers of electrolyzers in the United States and currently operates the largest Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer system in the United States at its Georgia hydrogen plant.
Electrolyzers use electricity to split water into its component parts, hydrogen and oxygen. Plug’s PEM technology allows it to operate efficiently even with variable electricity, enabling it to leverage electricity from intermittent renewables. Electrolyzers that use renewables to power their hydrogen production produce emissions-free clean hydrogen. The electrolyzer stacks can be easily configured to produce systems at 1 megawatt (MW), 5 MW, and 10 MW scales. (One MW powers the equivalent of 750 American homes based on their instantaneous demand.)
Plug is expected to develop and ultimately implement a strong Community Benefits Plan for each project and has committed to working with local communities for project siting, including soliciting input from local economic development corporations. In particular, Plug will initiate a community outreach program dedicated to promoting awareness, understanding, and utilization of hydrogen as a clean and sustainable energy source, which aims to engage and empower communities by providing educational resources, interactive activities, and collaborative initiatives that highlight the benefits and potential applications of hydrogen technology. Plug employs local workforce development strategies and programs that leverage the comprehensive suite of services offered by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’s network of One-Stop Career Centers, including the development of apprenticeship programs for operations jobs.
LPO works with all borrowers to create good-paying jobs with strong labor standards from construction through the life of the loan. Plug also supports President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
This announcement is part of a broader suite of actions LPO has taken in line with the President’s Investing in America agenda, which is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out—from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient. Leveraging loan authority from the President’s Inflation Reduction Act, LPO is spurring billions in public-private investments to boost the nation’s competitiveness, strengthen supply chains, and create good-paying jobs to power the clean energy economy.
The financing would be offered through LPO’s Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, which includes financing opportunities for innovative energy and supply chain projects like Plug’s, certain state-supported projects, and projects that reinvest in existing energy infrastructure.
While this conditional commitment indicates DOE’s intent to finance the project, the company must satisfy certain technical, legal, environmental, and financial conditions before the Department enters into definitive financing documents and funds the loan guarantee.
Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG), a global leader in comprehensive hydrogen solutions for the green hydrogen economy, received a conditional commitment for an up to $1.66 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) Loan Programs Office (“LPO”) to finance the development, construction, and ownership of up to six green hydrogen production facilities.
The production facilities, which will be selected for financing in accordance with procedures to be set forth in definitive documentation with DOE, will be built across the nation and supply major companies, including Plug’s existing customers, with low-carbon, made-in-America green hydrogen. The hydrogen generated will be used in applications in the material handling, transportation, and industrial sectors.
“Green hydrogen is an essential driver of industrial decarbonization in the United States,” said Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh. “Earlier this year, Plug successfully demonstrated our innovation and technical ability by launching the first commercial-scale green hydrogen plant in the country in Woodbine, Georgia. This loan guarantee will help us build on that success with additional green hydrogen plants.”
Marsh added, “We appreciate the partnership with the DOE Loan Programs Office and are pleased to have worked through an intensive due diligence process. The loan guarantee will prove instrumental to grow and scale not only Plug’s green hydrogen plant network, but the clean hydrogen industry in the United States.”
Plug, the leading commercial-scale manufacturer of electrolyzers, currently operates the largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer system in the United States at its Woodbine, Ga., hydrogen plant. Plug’s current green hydrogen generation network now has a liquid hydrogen production capacity of approximately 25 tons per day.
Plug’s green hydrogen production plants utilize the company’s own electrolyzer stacks manufactured at its state-of-the-art gigafactory in Rochester, NY, and Plug’s liquefaction and hydrogen storage systems engineered at its facility in Houston.
DOE’s support for Plug’s green hydrogen projects represents a major milestone in the U.S.’s commitment to advance the development of large-scale hydrogen production, processing, delivery, and storage. It also underscores the application of green hydrogen to help meet decarbonization goals across multiple sectors of the economy.
While this conditional commitment represents a significant milestone and demonstrates the DOE’s intent to finance the project, certain technical, legal, environmental and financial conditions, including negotiation of definitive financing documents, must be satisfied before funding of the loan guarantee.
LPO works in support of President Biden’s ambitions to drive growth in US manufacturing and innovation, create jobs, and build a clean energy economy that will address climate change and make communities more resilient.
Plug’s projects under the loan will adhere to the Biden Administration’s Justice 40 Initiative. This process includes gathering input from local labor, workforce, and economic development organizations in addition to first responder and non-profit organizations. The plants are expected to create good-paying jobs accessible to a diverse talent supply and help develop workforce skills needed to drive the transition to a clean energy economy.
LPO’s Title 17 Clean Energy Financing Program, which supports innovative energy and supply chain projects and projects that reinvest in existing energy infrastructure, will provide the financing to Plug.
File photo of Steve Hawley during electronic recycling event. Photo by Howard Owens
Press Release:
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) is once again partnering with Sunnking Sustainable Solutions to offer free electronic device collection and recycling for the community.
Collection day will be Saturday, June 22 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the parking lot at 5130 E Main Street Rd. in Batavia. Pre-registration is requested of all attendees at the website https://form.jotform.com/Sunnking/eo-batavia---june-2024.
“Recycling is a small but impactful way we can help keep our communities clean and I’m grateful to the good people at Sunnking Sustainable Solutions for partnering with me for another year of work,” Hawley said. “Anything from cell phones to computers to TVs can be recycled, so please, register today and help keep our communities clean!”
A partner of the Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMCs) in Buffalo and Batavia, Western New York Independent Living, Inc. (WNYIL) received the sole contract for Veteran Directed Care (VDC) with the VA.
While the Veteran Directed Care model is new to WNY, it has demonstrated success in self-directed care by Veterans across the nation. VA Medical Centers partner with non-profit Independent Living Centers to empower Veterans to employ their own aides (often already being provided by family members).
WNY Independent Living CEO, Douglas Usiak shares, “As an aging service-connected disabled Veteran myself, I am excited to know that my brother and sister Veterans will have the comfort to direct their own homecare needs and remain in their home of choice as long as possible. A secondary satisfaction to being involved in the launch of this program is the opportunity to work with the VAMC in the capacity of a partner, and not just one of their consumers of services. This partnership gives me the opportunity to advance my lifelong passion of promoting the Independent Living philosophy that believes that we all have a right to live in our homes, work in our communities, and engage in society as a person with a disability.”
A focus of this program is to reach the underserved rural parts of WNY where Veterans face provider shortages, geographic and distance barriers, limited broadband coverage which impairs their ability to participate in telehealth, and social determinants of health relative to rural living experiences (i.e., access to transportation, employment).
To ensure a trust-built rapport with Veterans, WNY Independent Living has employed another Army Veteran, Thomas Patterson, to serve in the Person-Centered Counsellor role and interface directly with the Veterans in assessing their needs in their homes and communities. Veterans and Tom work together to build a Spending Plan to identify costs for their Personal Assistants and obtain any additional goods and services the Veteran requires to improve quality of life in their home and community.
The power of this Veteran Directed Care program can be recognized in the experiences of the individual Veterans who are participating in VDC. For example, a 94-year-old Veteran who functions independently in his own home and wants to remain there with some additional oversight for specific household tasks and community access – like going to the library for a new mystery novel, has employed his daughter-in-law for these functions. Another Veteran depends on his granddaughter for activities of daily living and then she needs to go to her job in the community to support herself. Being able to be paid to continue the care she already provides to her “Poppy” will improve the quality of life for both. One thing is certain: their stories are being heard.
Crucial to WNY Independent Living’s successful launch as a VDC program, VDC Director Julie Andrews Krieger expresses gratitude for the mentorship of the other providers in the VDC community, including the Independent Living Center of Hudson Valley and VA Medical Center in Albany.
WNY Independent Living will support Veterans across the wider WNY region in Niagara, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Allegany Counties. We are proud to serve the Veterans in our community. To qualify for this program, a Veteran must request Veteran Directed Care from their VA physician and Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) at the local VA Medical Center or VA Clinic and an assessment is completed and referral made to the VDC program.
The Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.
Brea Smith was 4-4 at the plate with three singles and a double, along with six RBIs and a run scored. She also pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and no walks.
Lydia Ross was 3-5, with three runs scored, an RBI and four stolen bases.
Gas stove, dryer, queen bed and boxspring, books, bikes, legos, mens and womens clothing and much more. Cash and Venmo accepted. May 24-26 8am-? 5050 Batavia Elba Townline rd Batavia 14020
