Danskammer opponents sound off at DEC hearing

By Katherine Donlevy
Posted 8/25/21

Thirty four Hudson Valley residents spoke at the Aug. 23 public hearing on Danskammer Energy’s proposal to expand its fracked gas power facility. Not one supported the project.

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Danskammer opponents sound off at DEC hearing

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Thirty four Hudson Valley residents spoke at the Aug. 23 public hearing on Danskammer Energy’s proposal to expand its fracked gas power facility. Not one supported the project.

“It’s not moral to build another power plant that burns fossil fuels,” said Marcel Barrak, one of the dozens to call on the state Department of Environmental Conservation to stop the proposal from progressing further into fruition. “History will not judge us kindly if we make the mistake of misunderstanding that jobs and economic growth are poor substitutes for a stable and liveable planet.”

Danskammer has applied to expand its current peaker plant operation, which runs periodically, by building an additional gas turbine facility next door, which would run almost constantly. The new facility would be exceptionally more efficient, but would directly violate the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019: The legislation mandates a sharp decline in fossil fuels and natural gas, both of which power Danskammer, until the two would eventually be phased out by 2040.

The Monday evening hearing was the second of the day. Written comments from the public will remain open until Sept. 13. Those interested in voicing their opinion can submit comments to Michael Higgins NYS DEC Division of Environmental Permits at 625 Broadway in Albany, NY 12233-1750 or email danskammerenergy@dec.ny.gov.
Opponents say the negative effects would be too much to count. Not only would the new facility pollute its home in Newburgh and its surrounding neighborhoods, but it would drive down property values and reduce potential job opportunities that clean energy production would provide.

“I think this pandemic is mostly a lesson from mother nature, God, the universe or whatever you want to call it, whatever energy you feel is responsible for maintaining life on earth. That we are destroying the planet... We are no different than the dinosaurs and if we continue on this path of fossil fuel usage, we will become the next dinosaurs. Currently it is our humanity that is becoming a disease to the planet. But it can be the cure,” said Kammaldeen Sakan before urging the DEC to consider renewable energy, such as solar, wind and hydro power, rather than permitting fossil fuel plants to prosper.

Dr. Sandra Steingraber, a senior scientist at the Science and Environmental Health Network, joined the Hudson Valley residents to share findings of the organization’s recent report, which analyzed risks to farms from gas fired power plants, including from Danskammer. Gas fueled power plants are major emitters of methane vapors and nitrogen oxides, emissions combined to form ground level ozone or smog, Steingraber explained. Exposure to smog is a proven cause of heart attack, asthma and preterm birth in pregnant women.

Newburgh already has some of the highest asthma rates in the state, multiple speakers pointed out. A 2017 City of Newburgh Health Equity report found Newburgh emergency room hospital visits for asthma per 10,000 people of all ages to be about 132 percent greater than the entirety of New York State. Some speakers theorized Newburgh’s rates to now be four times that of the state.

Several other speakers, many from Newburgh, begged the DEC not to allow Danskammer to “prey” on Newburgh, which is heavily populated by Black and Brown communities.

“We shouldn’t even be entertaining this question right now about Danskammer,” said Lee Gauff, who testified as a mother from Esopus hoping for a better world for her children. “Danskammer has lied and told us we need this dirty plant for the future of the greater New York. The opposite is true.”

Two high school students joined the call to urge the DEC to consider their futures when deciding whether to approve Danskammer’s application or not. As 17-year-old Jen Novick said, “the question is: are we going to continue killing our planet or move directly towards healing it?”

“I am so incredibly outraged by how much time and energy myself and millions of other kids my age have had to exert in aiding the climate crisis,” said Novick. “There is no greater act of selfishness than leaving behind a mess for someone else to clean up and this is exactly what older generations have done. This Earth is on its way to being totally inhabitable and my generation who is at no fault is responsible for tending to this disaster. We should all be so ashamed by the lack of action that has been taken to fix this and I’m just appalled that this is still up for any debate.”