Construction of the new Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) power plant halted following a court-ordered mandate on Oct. 10, 2025. The order was issued as part of an ongoing lawsuit by the City of Newark and Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) against PVSC for approving construction of an additional pollutant-generating power plant in Newark.
Over the past few months, PVSC’s plans would add to three existing Newark facilities. Their stated mission is to provide backup power in the case of natural disasters like Superstorm Sandy (2012). However, a new power plant in the neighborhood is forecasted to come with consequences, including harmful gas emissions. Newark is already overburdened with air pollution from its surrounding highways, ports, and incinerators, and consequently many in the general public opposed the proposal. Despite protests from environmental justice organizations, critics, and the community, PVSC signed the approval for construction in June of this year.
Outraged at PVSC’s disregard for public opinion and safety, the Newark community turned to the legal system for support. Soon after PVSC’s approval for construction, the City of Newark and ICC filed a joint lawsuit against PVSC on the grounds that their project violates New Jersey’s Environmental Justice Law. This law protects communities from developments that could negatively impact the environment or public health. The plaintiffs also filed a motion to suspend construction for the new plant while this lawsuit is ongoing. In protest, PVSC filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
On Oct. 10, Judge Robert H. Gardner made the decision to deny PVSC’s dismissal request and order a pause in construction while the case is pending. Mayor Ras J. Baraka praises this short-term victory and tells reporters, “Newarkers don’t deserve to be treated with such abject disregard, and I look forward to the day we can celebrate the end of this travesty.”
The main lawsuit to stop the power plant construction for good will move forward in the coming weeks. “Failure to further expound on our argument and succumb to yet another fossil fuel plant to choke our air would undoubtedly do irreparable harm to the community,” says Kenyatta Stewart, Corporation Counsel for the City of Newark. The community is eager to see this power plant venture stopped. With a case management conference on Oct. 27, steps forward have been made, but the final ruling remains to be seen.
Sources:
https://www.newarknj.gov/news/newark-pauses-pvscs-effort-to-build-gas-fired-plant-in-ironbound
https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/nj-judge-halts-construction-controversial-power-plant-newark
