‘No Gas Power Plant In Newark,’ Officials In 4 NJ Towns Say

NEWARK, NJ — The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission wants to build a new power plant in Newark as part of a plan to prevent flooding. But officials in four nearby towns – Kearny, Hoboken, Jersey City and Livingston – say the agency needs to go back to the drawing board.

On Wednesday, the Kearny Council passed a resolution opposing the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s (PVSC) plans for a new fracked gas power plant in Newark. The council also called on Gov. Phil Murphy to direct the agency to “shift to a renewable energy alternative” in its place – a demand that Newark advocates have been making since the proposal first surfaced.

Kearny is the fourth municipality to formally oppose the project, following Hoboken, Jersey City and Livingston.

The power plant would be built at the PVSC’s massive 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, when flooding 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. Learn more about the plan here.

According to advocates, the PVSC also plans to run the facility to offset their power needs from the grid at other times.

A PVSC spokesperson previously told Patch that the new plant 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, local environmental groups and residents in the Ironbound have been pushing Murphy to put a halt to the proposed plant, alleging that it will add yet another source of pollution to an already overburdened neighborhood.

While advocates agree about the importance of improving infrastructure resiliency in the face of a worsening climate crisis, they are also demanding a clean renewable energy project that won’t increase pollution in the surrounding area.

Critics now include Kearny Mayor Alberto Santos, who has spoken out about other environmental concerns in the past, including the appearance of stinky odors at the nearby Keegan Landfill.

“For too long, this region has endured air pollution and noxious orders from heavy industry, garbage landfills, incinerators and power plants,” Santos said. “For too long, the residents of this region have suffered the negative health impacts from air pollution … it has to stop now.”

Santos said that “residents need to come first,” and that he strongly supports efforts to improve the quality of life for residents of the Ironbound and the region.

The mayor’s support got a big thank-you from the Newark-based Ironbound Community Corporation, which has been leading the charge against the proposed plant.

“We applaud the Kearny administration 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.

“The welfare of Newark residents and residents 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 added.

DELAYING THE VOTE

The PVSC was scheduled to vote earlier this month on a contract to begin building the new power plant. But Gov. Murphy reached out to the agency, asking them to delay the vote and gather more community feedback. Read More: Vote On Newark Power Plant Nixed After Gov. Murphy Intervenes

Chairman Thomas Tucci confirmed that the board is delaying the vote because its members want to have a dialogue with the public and the community about the project.

“We're going to move forward in a realistic and environmentally responsible way,” Tucci told Patch.

Matt Smith, the director of Food & Water Watch NJ, said advocates appreciate the governor’s help so far. But without further intervention, the project could move ahead very quickly, he warned.

Smith pointed out that there is precedent to the governor’s actions. Several years ago, the Kearny Council passed a resolution against a similar resiliency project that included a gas power plant proposed by NJ Transit to be built in their town. After 18 months of opposition from activists, Murphy directed NJ Transit to halt all work on the project and invest in a renewable energy-based power source.

The same is needed in Newark, Smith said.

“If Gov. Murphy wants to live up to his clean energy, environmental justice, and climate commitments, then just as he did with NJ Transit, he must direct PVSC to stop all plans for a new fracked gas power plant in the Ironbound and make a strong commitment that PVSC will use their resources and the massive taxpayer grant at their disposal to redesign the project with a clean, renewable energy-based source of power,” Smith said.

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.

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