Clean power advocates are accusing a former aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo of helping to push through an energy center in Middletown in exchange for thousands of dollars in consulting fees.

Joseph Percoco, of South Salem, and others in the governor's office are reportedly now the focus of a wide-ranging investigation by the US District Attorney's Office into whether improper lobbying of state business took place.

Former high-ranking member of Congress Dennis Kucinich joined over 50 other clean power advocates and residents to protest work on the CPV Valley Energy Center Saturday afternoon.

"This is the time, for the governor to use his executive authority, with a cloud of criminality over this project, and say we're going to stop it in its tracks. It's not going forward," Kucinich told News 12.

Protest organizers say they have been holding rallies every Saturday for over a year and a half, saying the energy center is not needed and causes health risks to children.

Advocates for the plant say it will bring jobs to the area. According to its website, the CPV Valley Energy Center "will be one of the cleanest conventional electric generating projects in the world when it comes on-line in 2018."

News 12 reached out to an attorney representing Joseph Percoco, but he has not yet responded.