Newark Community Unites Against NJDEP Approval of Newark’s Fourth Fossil Fuel Power Plant

March 13, 2025 —Newark, NJ – The recent decision by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to approve a permit for the construction of a fourth fossil fuel power plant in Newark has sparked fierce opposition from elected officials, environmental justice leaders, and community advocates. This approval particularly concerns Newark’sIronbound community, which has long faced environmental harm from toxic industries. Despite years of vocal opposition, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) is pushing ahead with plans to build this additional power plant.

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On Thursday, March 13, 2025, a coalition of concerned legislators, community leaders, and advocates came together for a press conference to publicly denounce the NJDEP’s approval and demand immediate action to stop the project. Among those speaking out were Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor-Marin, East Ward Councilman Mike Silva, and a statement from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, which was shared by Nicole Hewitt-Cabral, Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Newark.

Following the press conference, nearly 100 community members and allied groups attended the PVSC’s monthly virtual public board meeting, where they continued to call for alternative solutions that would serve Newark without exacerbating pollution.

While PVSC claims that the plant is necessary for backup power at its wastewater treatment facility, this rationale has been met with widespread skepticism. Local leaders and advocates argue that this plant is neither necessary nor beneficial for Newark’s residents, particularly given the community’s long-standing environmental challenges.

Community Leaders Speak Out

Hazel Applewhite, CEO of Ironbound Community Corporation, expressed her disappointment, saying:

“This decision by the NJDEP is disappointing. This decision impacts the health and well-being of Newark residents, particularly in the Ironbound, where our community has long suffered from environmental racism. We do not need another fossil fuel plant polluting our air, endangering our children, and ignoring the clean energy solutions that already exist. Newark deserves better. Our children deserve better. We will not stop fighting for the right to breathe clean air and live in a healthy environment.”

Chloe Desir, Policy Analyst for Ironbound Community Corporation’s Environmental Justice Team, emphasized the broader implications of this decision:

“This is not just about a power plant. It’s about a pattern of disregard for our community. For decades, our community has been targeted as a dumping ground — whether it’s garbage incinerators, immigrant detention centers, or now, another fossil fuel power plant. This is environmental racism. Period.”

She continued, asserting that the fight against PVSC’s proposal has been ongoing for over three years:

“For over three years, we’ve been fighting PVSC’s proposal, and it’s clear they never intended to listen to the community.”

Desir added a strong message for those pushing the project forward:

“We will not stand by while PVSC forces a fourth power plant into our backyard. We are fighting to protect our children, our elders, and our community’s right to clean air. They didn’t listen when we opposed the incinerator. But we will make sure they hear us now.”

Statement from Newark Mayor Ras Baraka:

“In a city struggling to dig out from under decades of environmental injustices, the state’s greenlighting of Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s construction of Newark’s fourth gas-fueled power plant comes as an assault that we are prepared to fight in court.

Already fouled by New Jersey’s largest garbage incinerator, choked daily by diesel fumes from thousands of container trucks, littered with more than its share of smokestacks and toxic refuse, Newark considers this decision a slap in the face to every resident. We deserve better.

Standing solid for the people of Newark, I wholly reject this decision and demand that PVSC’s storm-related backup power source needs be met with clean, renewable energy and grid-hardening technologies that will not threaten our health and exacerbate the climate crisis.

To repeat what I have said in letters to Governor Phil Murphy, statements to the media, and public comments: Newark will not abide by any discriminatory energy project that inflicts further harm upon our residents and the workers who come here to invigorate the State’s economy. There are viable alternatives to a gas-powered plant. There is a compassionate alternative to oppression. And there are easier and less disruptive alternatives to litigation.”

Why the Plant is Not Necessary

Advocates are calling for the adoption of cleaner, cheaper alternatives, which they argue make the proposed plant entirely unnecessary. While PVSC claims the plant will serve as a backup power source in the event of outages (such as those caused by Superstorm Sandy), critics contend that solar energy and battery storage systems are proven, cost-effective, and far more environmentally friendly alternatives. These solutions are reliable, less expensive (up to 70% cheaper), and produce no harmful emissions.

Asada Rashidi, Organizer with the South Ward Environmental Justice Alliance, shared her concerns about the necessity of the plant:

“This project is entirely unnecessary. PVSC has already invested heavily in flood protection infrastructure after Superstorm Sandy, and PSE&G has spent over $2 billion to fortify the electrical grid. There is no valid justification for adding another major source of pollution to our community here in Newark.”

Rashidi further emphasized the broader environmental implications:

“We’re in the middle of a climate crisis and yet PVSC is still pushing dirty energy in a city already suffocating from pollution. Given Newark’s already severe asthma rates, the addition of this plant is unconscionable.”

Higher Emissions from Fossil Fuel Operations

One of the most alarming aspects of PVSC’s plan is its intention to operate the proposed gas plant for testing and maintenance more frequently than necessary. This will significantly increase pollution in the surrounding community, especially during startup and shutdown periods, which are the most polluting phases of fossil fuel power plant operations. During these periods, pollution control equipment is less effective, leading to heightened emissions of harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). As a result, the plant’s operation would disproportionately impact the surrounding community, making air quality even worse.

Jonathan Smith, senior attorney with Earthjustice, explained the consequences:

“This plant will only make Newark’s air quality worse. Startup and shutdown periods are when these plants release the most pollution, and PVSC has made it clear they plan to start up and shut down frequently.”

Smith also highlighted a troubling aspect of PVSC’s plan:

“To make matters worse, PVSC is proposing to burn hydrogen in the gas plant turbines — which can actually lead to even higher nitrogen oxide emissions.”

Disproportionate Impact on Overburdened Communities

The Ironbound neighborhood in Newark has long been a site of environmental injustice, burdened by pollution from multiple fossil fuel power plants, New Jersey’s largest garbage incinerator (formerly Covanta, now Reworld), and legacy contamination from the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. The community is predominantly made up of Black, brown, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and low-income residents, all of whom have borne the brunt of these environmental harms with little accountability.

Melissa Miles, Executive Director of the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, expressed her frustration with the decision:

“Governor Murphy and the DEP under the leadership of Commissioner LaTourette have taken many actions to correct the historic harm of environmental racism and the legacy of toxic industrial pollution that impacts so much of the state. Standing in a moment when environmental science, laws, and organizations are squarely in the bullseye of the federal government, the permitting of another gas plant is a deep betrayal of everything our state has done to help communities like Newark to breathe cleaner air.”

Essex County Commissioner Robert Mercado also voiced his opposition, saying:

“As a lifelong Newark resident and elected County Commissioner representing District 1 in Newark, I join with many other residents and community and faith leaders calling upon the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission to vote against the proposed new fossil fuel power plant in Newark. The people of this city have suffered some of the worst impacts of pollution in New Jersey. We must stand up for justice and not allow their health to be sacrificed.”

Next Steps: Community Calls for Public Action

As the PVSC Board of Commissioners is set to vote on the proposal in the coming months, community leaders are urging the public to make their voices heard. Five out of nine commissioners must vote against the plant for it to be stopped. Community members and advocates are calling for increased public participation in the upcoming PVSC virtual board meeting, scheduled for April 17, 2025, at 12 p.m. Join the meeting here and sign the petition to stop the plant.