Sandra Kissam, a member of Orange County Residents Against the Pilgrim Pipeline [RAPP], addressed the Marlborough Town Board last week on a proposal by Danskammer Energy LLC to build a new $400 million natural gas fired power plant beside the old plant on the Hudson River in the Town of Newburgh.

Kissam said presently the plant is operating when there is a need for energy while a new plant may operate more frequently.

“Although the proposal is a better use of energy and is a more efficient plant, the fact is that the total amount of pollution will increase tremendously because it will go from being a rarely used facility to being a facility that is being used constantly,” she said.

Kissam said Danskammer Energy LLC, represented by CEO Bill Reid, has stated that the new plant will use a lesser polluting two-stage system.

“The first step is producing energy from the natural fracked gas and the second part is another turbine which takes any emissions from that first process and utilizes those emissions to add to the electrical energy and involves two turbines,” she said.

Kissam said a significant amount of coal ash has accumulated on the site since it opened in the 1950s and has questioned how the new company will handle this old waste material.

In a subsequent phone interview, Michelle Hook, VP of Public Affairs for Danskammer Energy, said they have all of the required permits concerning the coal ash pile, it is monitored daily and they have met the stipulations of the Department of Environmental Conservation [DEC]. She said the new company has set aside $8 million in escrow on behalf of DEC, “so moving forward for thirty years an independent monitor can track everything and all that information is given to DEC.” She noted that a slight modification to the permit has allowed them to properly clean up the site.

“We want to shut down that landfill; we have no need for it moving forward.” she said, adding that they will continue to meet all state regulations concerning the coal ash material.

Kissam said although the past burning of coal at the plant produced significant levels of pollution, the proposed use of natural gas for the new plant, which will be running far more than the old plant, will emit carbon dioxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter and volatile organic compounds.

“Depending on the location of the emissions and the size of the area being affected, the chemicals can cause headaches, vision problems, fatigue, shortness of breath and worse. If it is coming from the stack, it depends on where the wind is blowing, from which direction and for how long and it also depends on how cleanly they are operating,” she said.

Hook pointed out that the level of carbon dioxide emissions from a new plant will be half of what came from the old plant, “and it will reduce all of the other emissions by an estimated 80% to 90%.” She said additional studies Danskammer will be conducting will clarify the percentages even further.

Danskammer Energy LLC has filed a Preliminary Scoping Document. As the process continues the public may submit written comments and later this year additional Public Hearings will be scheduled and posted.

Hook said Danskammer has set aside funding for municipalities, groups and individuals who may be directly impacted by the proposed plant to study such issues as traffic, emissions, noise or the handling of the coal ash pile. The deadline to apply for funding is March 15.

Kissam reminded the Town Board that prior to the present owners, one year Marlborough residents saw their school tax bills spike by 39 percent during a bankruptcy/sale and lowered assessment of the plant nearly a decade ago.

Kissam quoted an old saying; Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

A decision on the plant is expected by mid 2020 and if approved, a new Danskammer facility would take approximately 30 months to build.