Activists Cheer ‘Death’ Of Kearny Power Plant – Could Newark Be Next?

NEWARK, NJ— NJ Transit is putting the brakes on a controversial plan to build a power plant in Hudson County. Now, activists are saying the same should be done for a similar proposal in Newark.

On Friday, NJ Transit announced that it will be “redirecting” $503 million in federal grant funds that were previously earmarked for the TransitGrid Microgrid Central Facility in Kearny. The backup plant – which saw opposition from local environmental activists for years – would have been fueled by natural gas.

In a statement explaining the decision, NJ Transit said the proposal was “not financially feasible.” The agency also said that the power grid has seen big improvements that have lessened the need for a backup plant.

NJ Transit specifically cited Newark-based PSE&G’s Energy Strong program for “greatly increasing power reliability” throughout the region. Read More: PSEG Asks NJ Regulators To Approve $306M For Clean Energy

Ever since the Kearny proposal was first announced, community activists have been waging a campaign against it, claiming that it will increase climate-warming emissions and air pollution in already overburdened communities.

Friday’s announcement got a huge cheer from the advocates who have been demanding that NJ Transit scrap the proposal.

“The death of this dirty gas plant is a victory for taxpayers, transit riders, the climate and so much more,” said Clean Water Action's David Pringle, a steering committee member of the Empower NJ coalition.

“Kudos to NJ Transit for this course correction,” Pringle said. “Now it must immediately and aggressively pivot from unforced errors and better focus on the many tough challenges it faces.”

NEWARK POWER PLANT

Pringle added that the same reasoning that led to the “death” of the Kearny proposal should also apply to a controversial power plant plan in nearby Newark. See Related: Protesters March Against Power Plants In Newark, Kearny

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) want to build a natural gas power plant at its existing wastewater treatment facility at 600 Wilson Avenue. The long-running proposal is part of a resiliency blueprint that sprang up in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

During the now-infamous storm, the PVSC wastewater facility in Newark was flooded, spilling billions of gallons of raw or partially-treated sewage into the Passaic River. Read More: Superstorm Sandy Caused Flood Of Excrement In New Jersey 10 Years Ago

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.

The PVSC has maintained that the plant will use state-of-the-art emission controls and will have a “negligible impact to the community.” Spokespeople have said the agency continues to explore clean energy alternatives for the facility, and is planning to integrate solar and batteries as part of the project. The agency said it is also working with Siemens – the manufacturer of the turbines that would be used to operate the facility – to transition the fuel used in the turbines from natural gas to a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen and then to 100% hydrogen. Read More: Sewerage Commission Defends Newark Power Plant Proposal, Cites Sandy

But while advocates say they understand the need to build resilience in the face of the climate crisis, they insist that the PVSC should do so with a solution that “prioritizes as much renewable energy as possible and doesn’t involve a new “dirty energy power plant,” especially in a neighborhood that’s been long-plagued with environmental hazards – including three other gas power plants.

• See Related: Opposition To Power Plant Growing In Newark; City Council Takes Vote
• See Related: Proposed Power Plant 'Not Good' For Newark, Essex Commissioner Says
• See Related: Put The Brakes On Power Plant In Newark, 20 NJ Lawmakers Say

Now that NJ Transit has decided to put the brakes on their Kearny plant, it’s also time to finally stick a fork in the PVSC plan in Newark, advocates insist.

With the improvements that PSE&G has made to the grid, widespread outages like the ones seen during Sandy are “unlikely” to happen again, said Maria Lopez-Nuñez, an organizer with the Ironbound Community Corporation, a Newark advocacy group that has been leading the charge against the proposal.

“This also calls into question the need for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s backup gas power plant proposed in Newark's Ironbound [neighborhood],” Lopez-Nuñez added. “If the New Jersey Department of Transportation acknowledges that their backup power system is no longer necessary, then we call on Gov. Phil Murphy to direct the PVSC to do the same.”

• See Related: Vote On Newark Power Plant Nixed After Gov. Murphy Intervenes

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.