8 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 4, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
DEC denies permits for NRG’s proposed Gas Turbine Power Plant in Astoria
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Aft er months of vigorous opposition by
lawmakers and activists, the Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
denied permits for NRG Energy’s proposed
gas turbine power plant in Astoria.
On Wednesday, Oct. 27, the agency
determined the proposed project
“would be inconsistent with or would
interfere with the statewide greenhouse
gas emissions limits established in the
Climate Leadership and Community
Protection Act (CLCPA).”
“Astoria NRG failed to demonstrate
the need or justifi cation for
the proposed project notwithstanding
this inconsistency,” DEC’s determination
stated.
Gov. Kathy Hochul
applauded the DEC’s decision
to deny the Title V
air permits needed for the
proposed plant to move
forward, as the state transitions
to clean energy.
“Climate change is the
greatest challenge of our
time, and we owe it to
future generations to meet
our nation-leading climate
and emissions reduction
goals,” Hochul said.
NRG’s proposal would have
replaced 50-year-old power
generators in the Ditmars-
Steinway area. Th e DEC
approved draft permits
for NRG’s gas-fi red power
plant in early July. However,
aft er holding public hearings
this summer and receiving over 6,000
responses of opposition, the DEC subsequently
decided to deny the proposal.
Many state and local lawmakers
opposed the project, citing the potential
violations to the CLCPA, which
is a state law requiring New York cut
greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by
2050. Anthony Rogers-Wright from the
Environmental Justice Program at New
York Lawyers for Public Interest said that
NRG’s proposal clearly did not align with
the tenets of the CLCPA.
“Denial of the permit was, therefore,
warranted and in compliance with standing
law,” Rogers-Wright commented.
“Th at said, DEC must exercise consistency
as it pertains to Title V Permits;
Section 7 of the CLCPA is lucid in its
determination that no permits should
be granted that would prevent emissions
reduction goals from being realized, nor
should they result in disproportionate
impacts to disadvantaged communities.”
State Senate Majority Leader Michael
Gianaris has been protesting the proposal
for nearly a year and commended fellow
activists for their work in stopping the
fossil fuel plant.
“Our community drew a line in the
sand against new fossil fuel infrastructure
and won,” Gianaris said. “Let this be
a statement of what our policy should be
as we fi ght the ravages of the climate crisis.
No more fossil fuel plants should get
approved, period.”
Tom Atkins, the vice president of development
at NRG, said they are reviewing
the state’s decision but feel that it’s “unfortunate”
that New York is turning down
an opportunity to reduce pollution. NRG
claimed the plan would have complied
with the CLCPA by providing “immediate
reductions in greenhouse gas emissions
and would have been fully convertible
to green hydrogen in the future.”
“New Yorkers deserve both cleaner
air and reliable energy to ensure
the lights stay on for our small businesses,
homes, schools and hospitals
when they need it most,” Atkins said.
“While we’re deeply disappointed
with this decision, NRG will continue
to fi nd ways to help New York achieve
its emissions goals. In the meantime,
our current Astoria plant will continue to
operate to help ensure the lights stay on in
New York City, as that remains the most
important thing.”
Other high-profi le lawmakers, such as
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
have opposed this plan, saying NRG’s
plan would have made New York reliant
on fossil fuel for years to come.
“For too long, the people of western
Queens have borne the brunt of the consequences
of being home to far too many
of New York’s pollution-belching power
plants,” Schumer said. “I am so proud to
have fought alongside great local leaders
and activists to stop this pollution-spewing
plant.”
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards agreed and said that the borough
has sent a clear message that NRG’s
plant is “antithetical to our critically
important mission to eliminate our city’s
dependence on fossil fuels.”
“From Superstorm Sandy to Hurricane
Ida, Queens knows all too well the catastrophic
impacts climate change has had
on our borough,” Richards said. “Time
is of the essence, and today’s decision
ensures Queens will continue to be a
global leader in the fi ght for a more sustainable,
resilient and healthy environment.”
Despite NRG’s claim to comply with
the CLCPA, environmental activists said
that the Astoria plan would not be clean
energy. Gas-fi red energy and the entire
process of extraction would increase
greenhouse gas emissions, the Bronx
and Queens Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Th e entire process is prone to a high
degree of leakage, undermining any
potential gains that may be touted,”
Ocasio-Cortez said. “Even if every coal
plant were replaced by fracked gas electricity
by 2030, emissions would remain
on track to grow through 2050 due in
part to pervasive methane leaks that make
fracked gas as dangerous as coal.”
Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who
actively protested NRG’s plan, sponsored
the Clean Futures Act in March to ban
all new fracked-gas power plants across
the state.
“When we organize against corporations
that put capital over the collective,
we can win a world where we can all live
with dignity,” Mamdani said. “Stopping
the Astoria power plant is an amazing
victory towards a habitable planet and
the clean future we all deserve. Now, we
must take this momentum from Astoria
to Albany and codify this decision by
passing the Clean Futures Act, enacting
Public Power through the Build Public
Renewables Act, and leading the country
in our fi ght against the climate crisis.”
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards commented that the borough
has sent a clear message that NRG’s plant
is “antithetical to our critically important
mission to eliminate our city’s dependence
on fossil fuels.”
Environmental activist groups like Food
& Water have been fi ghting against this
plant in New York and in Washington, D.C.
“Hochul’s decision strikes a critical blow
to the fossil fuel industry, providing a
huge victory for New York’s climate movement,”
Food & Water Watch Northeast
Region Director Alex Beauchamp said.
“She is showing the nation what real climate
leadership looks like. Th e next step
is for Governor Hochul to commit to halting
all fossil fuel infrastructure, including
the north Brooklyn pipeline and the
Gowanus power plant.”
Photo courtesy of Sen. Gianaris’ offi ce
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer joined state Senator Michael Gianaris
and other Queens elected offi cials to oppose the proposed upgrade to
NRG’s Astoria peaker plant.
Courtesy of NRG
A rendering of NRG’s Astoria
Replacement Project
With the purchase of glasses,
contact lens e l.
2 Boxes of Lenses Frames & Lenses
DESIGNER FRAMES
PLUS FREE 2ND PAIR
* $200 minimum purchase on first pair of designer
frames. Second pair frame from select group with
Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this
location only. Not valid with any other offers, sales,
vision plans or packages.
Offer ends 11/30/21
offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present
prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only.
Offer ends: 11/30/21
������������������������������brand clear sphericalLenses/*Contact
lens fitting additional. Not valid for Toric lenses. Not valid with
any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must
present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only.
Some restrictions apply, see store for details.
Offer ends: 11/30/21
vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase.
Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply,
see store for details
Offer ends: 11/30/21
VETERANS DAY SALE
9 9 FLEX SPENDING
USE IT
OR LOSE IT!
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
