2 More NJ Towns Oppose Power Plant Proposal In Essex County

NEWARK, NJ — Two more North Jersey towns have lined up against a proposed power plant in Newark.

Last week, Secaucus and West New York passed resolutions opposing the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s (PVSC) plans to build a new, $180 million natural gas power plant at its wastewater treatment facility at 600 Wilson Avenue in Newark.

Secaucus and West New York join several other Hudson County municipalities – Union City, Bayonne, Weehawken, Kearny, Jersey City and Hoboken – that are calling for a “renewable energy alternative” in place of the current plan. Other nearby municipalities that have formally opposed the proposal include Livingston, Maplewood and Alpine. Read More: 'No Gas Power Plant In Newark,' Officials In 4 NJ Towns Say

The power plant would be built at PVSC’s sewage processing facility in the Ironbound section of Newark. It’s part of a resiliency project that was proposed in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which caused the sewerage plant to lose power and spill billions of gallons of raw or partially treated sewage into the Passaic River.

Since then, the PVSC has rolled out a sweeping series of renovations to avoid future calamities. Part of that plan includes building a plant which would provide backup power to their wastewater treatment plant if the grid goes down.

A PVSC spokesperson previously told Patch that the facility would be powered by "the same natural gas that people all across Newark and New Jersey in general use to heat their homes and from which they also obtain electrical power."

"The plant will use state-of-the-art emission controls with negligible impact to the community," he said.

However, some residents and environmental activists allege that, as currently planned, the plant would be bad news for the people who live nearby.

According to the PVSC, the Newark Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant serves more than more than 1.5 million residential users, 5,000 commercial users, and 200 "significant industrial users" in 48 municipalities throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. The Newark plant also receives liquid waste from customers all along the East Coast – about 300 trucks per day – as well as two barges and two ships per week.

In January, a crucial vote on the project was delayed to do a “more thorough environmental justice review and robust public engagement process.” The delay came after Gov. Phil Murphy – prodded by activists - asked the PVSC to postpone the vote. Read More: Vote On Newark Power Plant Nixed After Gov. Murphy Intervenes

Local environmental groups and residents in the Ironbound have been pushing Murphy to put a permanent halt to the proposed plant, alleging that it will add yet another source of pollution to an already overburdened neighborhood.

Advocates have also said that approving the project would defy the spirit of a new state law intended to protect “overburdened” communities from new sources of pollution. Read More: NJ Law Gives Urban Areas A Powerful Tool To Fight Polluters

“We applaud our neighbors in Hudson County for taking a stand against the dirty energy plant and supporting the well-being of North Jersey communities and our climate,” said Maria Lopez-Nuñez, deputy director of advocacy and organizing at Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark.

“The welfare of Newark residents and residents downwind in Hudson County and across the region depends on Gov. Murphy rejecting the proposed PVSC power plant and investing in an alternative guided by input from our community,” Lopez-Nuñez said.

Bill McClelland, a volunteer with Food & Water Watch, said the resolutions from Newark’s neighbors are “major victories” in the effort to stop the proposed plant.

“Another huge fossil-fuel burning project is not acceptable,” McClelland urged. “If Gov. Murphy wants to live up to his clean energy, environmental justice, and climate commitments, he must direct the PVSC to immediately withdraw its air permit application for this power plant and rewrite their proposal.”

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