Astoria leaders gather to show support for new energy project and protest Ravenswood Generating
Station. Photo courtesy of Chris Singleton
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | MARCH 11 - MARCH 17, 2022
NEW LONG ISLAND
CITY BAR OFFERS
SPECIALTY DRINKS
WITH LOCAL TWISTS
BY JULIA MORO
The Bar at JACX&CO, located
at 28-17 Jackson Ave.,
just opened its doors in Long
Island City on Friday, March
4.
The full-service bar offers
a large range of cocktails
curated by the JACX&CO
team as well as wine, cider
and beer from local makers.
Cocktail highlights include
the Sunnyside, a gin drink
with fresh lime juice and
mint, and the Tale of 2 Cities
with aged rum shaken with
apricot liqueur simple syrup,
lime and orange bitters.
Events like trivia, comedy
shows and more will
launch as the weather gets
warmer. The bar, offering
215 indoor seats, is also open
to private and semi-private
events.
“The Bar at JACX&CO
provides a multifaceted gathering
place for friends, family,
co-workers, and visitors
in Long Island City,” said
JACX&CO General Manager
Shana Watts. “We love our vibrant
neighborhood and aim
to be a true community hub,
offering a diverse collection
of food, beverages and event
programming.”
JACX&CO is located on
the plaza level of The JACX,
a 1.2-million-square-foot creative
office campus developed
by Tishman Speyer in
Long Island City that’s accessible
by the 7, N, W, E, M, R
and G trains.
Food vendors at
JACX&CO include Beebe’s,
BIAO Sugar, Méxology and
more. The food hall and bar
facilitate orders via Bbot, an
order-and-pay platform, allowing
guests to order from
different eateries for dine-in,
delivery and pick-up.
The Bar at JACX&CO is
open Sunday through Thursday
from noon to 9 p.m.with
extended hours on Friday
and Saturday, from noon to
11 p.m. JACX&CO’s food vendors
are open seven days a
week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
with extended hours for the
all-day café, Ghaya, from 7
a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information
about JACX&CO, visit jacxandco.
com. Guests can reach
the food hall at 929-510-7040.
For ongoing updates, guests
can follow JACX&CO on Instagram
@jacxandco and on
Facebook.com/jacxandco.
BY JULIA MORO
Community leaders and
environmental activists came
together outside of the Ravenswood
Generating Station in
Astoria on Friday, March 4,
to show support for the Champlain
Hudson Power Express
(CHPE), which would reduce
the need to burn fossil fuels in
the city by 25%.
CHPE is a state project that
would link the Montreal area to
Astoria through a high-voltage
direct cable carrying clean energy
from Canada to New York
City. Activists came to show
support of CHPE and urge the
New York Public Service Commission
(PSC) to approve the
project. CHPE would help New
York reach its ambitious climate
agenda and cut greenhouse gas
emissions by 85% by 2050.
Costa Constantinides, the
CEO of Variety Boys & Girls
Club and former council member,
mentioned that there is
not much time to cut society’s
dependence on fossil fuel facilities
like the Ravenswood Generating
Station, so the time to
act is now.
“We know the current dirty
plants beyond impacting our
climate produce pollution that
has created an ‘asthma alley’ in
our neighborhood west of 21st
Street,” Constantinides said.
“We need the PSC to approve
CHPE immediately to help us
combat climate change and improve
our air quality.”
According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
(EPA), the Ravenswood Generating
Station has emitted nearly
3,000 metric tons of carbon
dioxide and 0.06 metric tons
of methane in 2020. The total
population within three miles
of the plant is 1,214,778, 45% of
whom are people of color.
CHPE would bring enough
energy to power more than 1
million New York City homes,
all while reducing the use of
fossil fuels by 25%. The project
would also create an estimated
1,400 jobs and bring $3.5 billion
in economic benefits for local
New York communities.
Jonathan Forgash, the executive
director of Queens Together,
a community organization
dedicated to public health,
organized the March 4 rally
to urge the state agency to approve
CHPE.
“Ninety percent of the
city’s power comes from burning
fossil fuels and more than
half of that is done right here
in Queens,” Forgash said.
“This has been devastating to
the health and wealth of our
community. CHPE must be
approved. Our residents and
businesses will all breathe
easier when the air is cleaner,
our neighbors are healthier,
and we can avoid the expensive
fossil fuel spikes that we are
experiencing today.”
Queens County has an
above-average rate of asthma,
specifically in adults, with
9.3% affected compared to the
national average of only 7%, according
to the CDC. Northwestern
Queens has been deemed
“Asthma Alley” due to the disproportionately
high rates of
the disease.
Stephanie Chauncey, a community
leader and resident of
the Queensbridge Houses, said
that she and her neighbors deserve
to live in an area unpolluted
by fossil fuels.
“Residents in Astoria and
Long Island City have had to
deal with respiratory illness
due to toxins in the air for far
too long,” Chauncey said. “We
need a clean energy transition
for our community and to
reduce the burning of
polluting fossil fuels in our
neighborhoods.”
The Bar at JACX&CO opens in Long Island City.
Photo by Rachel Vanni
Astoria leaders show support of
new energy project that would
reduce fossil fuel use by 25%
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