A couple more things to add to this. About a decade ago, one of the dirtiest coal producing plants in America was reopened in Tonawanda, NY which is just below Niagara Falls. The amount of particulate this plant dumps as the wind blows (ironically enough it mainly falls on the wealthiest suburbs in the region, Williamsville and Clarence) is enormous, and it certainly contributes to the region's higher than average cancer rate. And yet, though it regularly pays big fines for exceeding even the much lowered limits allowed by the Bush administration, it's still in operation.

Since I live close to the Niagara River (10 minute bike ride and the Canadian border), I always notice the boom that gets lowered into the water in the early Fall to prevent the turbines from the hydroelectric plant from getting chunked up by the huge balls of ice rolling down the river. That boom stays until the late spring. When the ice backs up, it acts as a natural air conditioner/refrigerant dropping the temperatures by 10 degrees. On a hot April day, when it's 75 degrees in the city, I can ride my bike just 10 minutes to the river, and the temperature there will be 60 degrees. This represents a huge expense for the people living along that river since heating costs rise because of the boom. You would think we'd catch a break from the plant, but our electric rates are higher than much of the state and even higher than the municipalities in other states that the power plant sells electricity to.