Opposition To Power Plant Growing In Newark; City Council Takes Vote

NEWARK, NJ — “Enough is enough.” This was the message from Newark Councilman Michael Silva, who joined his colleagues to pass a symbolic resolution against a proposed power plant at last week’s public meeting.

During their April 5 meeting, the Newark City Council unanimously voted in favor of a resolution that opposes the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s (PVSC) plan to build a natural gas power plant at its 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. Read More: Sewerage Commission Defends Newark Power Plant Proposal, Cites Sandy

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.”

If approved, the PVSC plant would be the fourth gas-burning power plant in a community that already struggles with harmful levels of air pollution, advocates have protested.

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Silva, who introduced last week’s resolution to the council, said that the area where the plant would be located has “literally been dumped on” when it comes to environmental justice and public health.

“As a cancer survivor and an Ironbound resident for almost 50 years now, this issue is close to my heart and I will work with and fight for all our residents and stakeholders to make it clear: our health is not for sale,” Silva emphasized.

A group of residents and advocates also spoke against the power plant at last week’s council pre-meeting (watch the video below).

Silva and the Newark City Council aren’t the only local government bodies and elected officials who have gone on the record against the power plant.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was among those to sign a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy expressing their “strong opposition” to the plan in February. The letter was also signed by Senate Majority Leader Theresa Ruiz and Assemblymembers Eliana Pintor-Marin and Shanique Speight, who represent Newark in the 29th District. See Related: Put The Brakes On Power Plant In Newark, 20 NJ Lawmakers Say

Several other local government bodies in nearby towns and cities have passed resolutions against the proposed power plant, including Alpine, Bayonne, Hoboken, Jersey City, Kearny, Livingston, Maplewood, Secaucus, Union City and Weehawken. See Related: More NJ Towns Oppose Power Plant Proposal In Newark

The Essex County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a similar symbolic measure opposing the PVSC power plant in March. Read More: Proposed Power Plant 'Not Good' For Newark, Essex Commissioner Says

SEWERAGE COMMISSION: ‘ONLY USED FOR EMERGENCIES’

The PVSC has maintained that the plant will use state-of-the-art emission controls and will have a “negligible impact to the community.”

“The Standby Power Generation Facility is a critical element of the resiliency plan to prevent the environmental and public health hazards that the entire community experienced during and as a result of Superstorm Sandy,” a PVSC spokesperson recently told Patch.

“As a natural gas facility with state-of-the-art emissions control equipment, the facility will only be used for emergencies when there is a loss of power and to prevent critical equipment from shutting down,” he said, adding:

“The PVSC is planning to integrate solar and batteries as part of the project, as well as for wider operating purposes, with the potential for renewables to be a contributor to PVSC’s power supply. The PVSC 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, in accordance with all state and federal guidelines to reduce carbon emissions.”

In February, the sewerage commission released a statement in response to the letter signed by Baraka, Ruiz, Pintor-Marin and Speight, defending the proposal and saying that it "continues to fully explore clean energy alternatives for the facility." Read More: Sewerage Commission Defends Newark Power Plant Proposal, Cites Sandy

APPEALING TO MURPHY

Advocates continue to push back against the proposed plant, recently reaching out to Gov. Phil Murphy to intervene – yet again. Read More: Vote On Newark Power Plant Nixed After Gov. Murphy Intervenes

Murphy made the environment a major part of his platform during both of his gubernatorial campaigns. In 2020, he signed one of the strongest environmental justice laws in the nation, which makes it harder for the owners of major sources of air pollution to build a new facility, expand an old one, or renew an existing permit in areas that are considered “overburdened.” Read More: NJ Law Gives Urban Areas A Powerful Tool To Fight Polluters

To qualify, a neighborhood needs to have 35 percent low-income households, 40 percent minority households or 40 percent of households with limited English language proficiency. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, about 348 municipalities have overburdened communities within their borders, and the law impacts 4.6 million people in New Jersey. Read More: New DEP Rule Would Protect Already Polluted NJ Communities

Advocates have called on the governor to apply the state’s law to the proposed power plant in Newark. According to a statement from Food & Water Watch:

“The environmental justice review of PVSC’s proposed methane gas burning power plant is complete and is currently before the [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] for their review. The 2020 signing of the environmental justice (EJ) law was supposed to mark the beginning of the end of the disproportionate siting of major polluting facilities in EJ communities and the myriad public health harms they bring. Though the law was signed two and a half years ago and the Murphy Administration promised to have rules in place by November 2021 so the law could go into effect, the rulemaking process is yet to be complete and polluters continue to move ahead with new polluting projects in overburdened communities.”

“There are better options out there for our lungs, jobs, climate and Newark Bay,” said Kim Gaddy, the founder of Newark's South Ward Environmental Alliance and Clean Water Action National Environmental Justice Director.

“Governor Murphy and the PVSC must follow the locals’ lead and reject a fourth gas plant in the Ironbound,” Gaddy said.

Newark Environmental Commission Co-Chair Wynnie-Fred Victor Hinds said the proposal is a bad deal for the city – and others nearby.

Hinds said the wave of government bodies and officials going on record against the plan “sends a message” that agencies like the PVSC need to commit to renewable energy if they’re really concerned about the health of future generations, climate change mitigation and the quality of life of Newark residents and those of other municipalities.

The council’s stance also got a nod of appreciation from JV Valladolid of the Ironbound Community Corporation.

“The Newark City Council’s opposition to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission's current proposal to bring a fourth fossil power plant to our city is a solid demonstration of community-driven decision-making and support,” Valladolid said.

For now, the urgency continues to build, according to Food & Water Watch organizer Sam DiFalco.

“Without intervention from Governor Murphy, the PVSC could vote to begin construction on their dirty gas plant proposal in the coming weeks,” DiFalco said. “The governor has consistently made big promises to fight climate change and protect environmental justice communities, yet without action to stop new fossil fuel plants proposed in overburdened communities like Newark, his words mean nothing.”

“If he wants to live up to the commitments he made to Newark where he signed the environmental justice law back in 2020, then he will stop the PVSC from proceeding with this gas plant,” DiFalco added.

• See Related: NJ To Require All-Electric Cars, 100% Clean Energy By 2035
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