In mid-June of this year, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) approved the construction of a power plant in one of the most pollution-ridden areas of New Jersey — Ironbound, Newark. Policymakers claim this power plant will serve as emergency backup power in the event of a disaster like Hurricane Sandy. However, the people of Ironbound feel differently.
In the months leading up to the project’s approval, environmental justice advocates and the general public expressed their outrage at the development of yet another pollutant-releasing facility in their already compromised neighborhood. This will be the fourth power plant constructed in the city of Newark, alongside major highways, an international airport, and New Jersey’s largest garbage incinerator, Reworld.
These toxic facilities have come with a deadly cost to the people of Ironbound, a population of disproportionately marginalized and low-income communities. Ironbound residents experience an abnormally high rate of asthma cases, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases — all of which are attributed to the polluted environment. Community leaders denounce this neglect of immigrant communities as environmental racism — when communities of color disproportionately suffer the consequences of environmental damage due to lack of representation and discriminatory policies.
Ironbound residents are regularly losing loved ones to the health issues caused by pollution. For them, the construction of harmful infrastructure is a matter of livelihood. In 2020, they protested the license renewal of Reworld’s (formerly Covanta) garbage incinerator, which was highlighted in the documentary The Sacrifice Zone for its dioxin and mercury emissions. This year, the battle continues — this time against the construction of PVSC’s power plant. Environmental justice groups claim that adding a fourth power plant in the area is not only harmful, but also unnecessary.
The stated purpose of the power plant is to supply backup power during natural disasters. However, in an article written by the Ironbound Community Corporation, Asada Rashidi, an organizer with the South Ward Environmental Justice Alliance, counters by saying:
“PVSC has already invested heavily in flood protection infrastructure after Superstorm Sandy, and PSE&G has spent over $2 billion to fortify the electrical grid. There is no valid justification for adding another major source of pollution to our community here in Newark.”
Not only does Newark have natural disaster measures already in place, but there are also existing alternatives to a gas-powered power plant, such as solar power or battery storage. PVSC has rejected those alternatives with the rationale that they are unreliable and not space-effective.
Despite the dismissal, activists are steadfast in condemning this injustice. They highlight that this project is a clear violation of New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law. According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the law “requires DEP to evaluate environmental and public health impacts of certain facilities on overburdened communities (OBCs)” and “NJ is the first state required to issue denials for new facilities that cannot avoid disproportionate impacts on OBCs or serve compelling public interest.”
Invoking that law, the environmental justice organization Earthjustice has filed a lawsuit against PVSC over its power plant project and is now awaiting a court decision.
References:
https://www.njspotlightnews.org/video/newark-organization-sues-over-new-power-plant/
