TOWN OF NEWBURGH – Danskammer Energy LLC’s withdrawal of its application to build a new fracked gas power plant in the Town of Newburgh was a win for public health, says the Stop Danskammer Coalition.
With the help of that organization, 25 Hudson Valley municipalities had passed resolutions against the proposed plant, along with a unanimous bipartisan resolution passed by the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Another group, Sunrise Westchester, a youth climate movement, was also instrumental in the effort to stop the project before it began.
“Thank God this fight is over and the people won. The City of Newburgh and the Hudson Valley deserve a fossil-free future, which is the best outcome for our community,” said Mark Sanchez-Potter, a Newburgh city resident, schoolteacher and Stop Danskammer Coalition member.
“This community could not survive another environmental burden,” said Tamsin Hollo of Newburgh Clean Water Project. “It was vital to residents and future generations living here that this plant be stopped.”
“It’s relieving to see that fossil fuel energy companies like Danskammer are receiving the ‘No More Fossil Fuels’ message from New Yorkers,” said Eric Wood, Hudson Valley regional coordinator of NYPIRG. “It’s a precedent setting victory that they withdrew their Title V application for their proposed gas expansion project.”
He said it would be great to see the proposed expansion site “slowly converted into something more productive and healthy for the region as the permit for the current Danskammer peaker plant phases out in 2025.”
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act commits to 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040, sets legally binding emissions reduction standards to get New York completely off of fossil fuels by 2050, and mandates that 40 percent of state climate energy funding be invested in disproportionately disadvantages communities.
“As we celebrate this victory in the Hudson Valley, wildfires in California and New Mexico are raging out of control. We can pause for a moment, but the fight to mitigate climate change and advocate for a livable climate for ourselves and all children is not over,” said Johanna Fallert of Mothers Out Front.
