Environmentalists Fight Redevelopment of Plant

ROSETON – Representatives from various environmental advocacy groups gathered at the site of the Danskammer electric power plant Tuesday afternoon to announce their intention to fight the proposal Danskammer Energy LLC of repowering he plant into a more efficient natural gas-fired plant.

The plant cannot burn coal.

South of Marlboro in the Town of Newburgh, there used to exist a small hamlet called Roseton, a community completely taken over by Central Hudson years ago, having all of the municipal buildings and residential areas, less one remaining, removed for the expansion of their plant.

Over time, Central Hudson began amassing a large ash pile of coal waste, which had since been remediated, but as the property changed hands from Dynegy, to Danskammer LLC, environmental advocates suspect this area may soon become the newest CPV-type power plant.

Environmental advocates who have been fighting the influx of the natural gas industry were made aware of the situation by local resident Frank Muthig, who attended a Town of Newburgh meeting regarding the plant’s future a month ago, and decided to visit the site.
Those opposed to a new plant, on that same site, were unsatisfied when they saw the conditions of the Danskammer area.

An Article 10 proceeding is taking place, a new regulatory law which governs the restart, or reopening, of a power-plant for Danskammer Energy LLC.

Sandra Kissam, chairwoman of Orange Residents Against Pilgrim Pipeline, said the 18 monitoring wells at the Danskammer Point Generation Station, consisting of the three phase landfill areas, collect leachate and pose a risk to soil, air and ground water. She said the goal is to keep another natural gas plant from cropping up.

“The minute it’s burned [natural gas], it’s going to be polluting the atmosphere. It’s also polluting where it is mined, where it is drilled; so, from the point of drilling it, to the point where it is used as a fuel, there’s pollution and an escape of pollutants all the way up the line,” said Kissam. “We would, ideally, like to see them walk away from the project, or put in a renewable energy facility,” she said.

Environmental Director for Hudson Valley Sloop Clearwater Manna Jo Greene said this idea of transitioning to a renewable resource plant, although a paradigm shift is only a matter of execution.

“We really can transition to a renewable energy economy if that’s where we put our resources,” said Greene. “If we keep putting our resources into burning fossil fuel we’re going to exacerbate the climate crisis.”

There are two informational open houses scheduled on the matter sponsored by Danskammer Energy LLC. One will be held at Middle hope Elementary School from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., on December 17. The other will be held in Wappingers Falls, at 8 School Street during the same times, on December 18.