Queens Power Plant to Close Sunday

One of New York City's dirtiest power plants is closing this weekend. New York State Power Authority officials confirmed Friday that The Charles Poletti Power Project in Astoria, Queens, will close at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The Astoria plant was named one of the city's worst polluters in a 2002 report by the Environmental Protection Agency. The generating station was built in the mid-1970's and could burn either oil or natural gas.

Queens City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. calls the closing a breath of fresh air. Vallone and an environmental group won a 2002 lawsuit against the power authority, which led to the plant closing this weekend.

A replacement plant was built in 2005 to provide electricity to city agencies, subways and metro-area commuter trains.