Info Center
Current Status
In June 2024, Danskammer withdrew their application for a Title V air permit. Under the federal Clean Air Act, Danskammer cannot move forward with their proposal without this permit! This is a huge victory for local environmental justice communities – and everyone in the Hudson Valley and the Northeast!
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had previously denied Danskammer’s application for a permit under the CLCPA. Danskammer commenced two appeals of DEC’s October 2021 decision: a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court and an administrative appeal before DEC. In June 2022, the Supreme Court upheld DEC’s decision and agreed that the CLCPA mandated denial of permits that would be inconsistent with the state’s climate goals.
While it’s a huge win that Danskammer has withdrawn their permit application, the fight to stop the plant is not necessarily over. Danskammer may still try to build a new plant on the Hudson that emits toxic pollutants. Stay tuned for updates and opportunities to get involved and make sure that a new polluting power plant is not built on the shores of the Hudson!
CLICK HERE to learn more about alternatives for the Danskammer site
CLICK HERE to watch the May 2020 Webinar on Danskammer and Public Health
Background
Danskammer Energy owns an existing 64-year-old power plant on the Hudson River in the Town of Newburgh. The existing plant operates only a handful of days a year as a “peaker” facility. Danskammer is proposing to build a new 550-Megawatt gas-fired plant next to the existing facility. It would be a “baseload” facility, running nearly all the time.
Power from a new Danskammer plant is not needed to replace Indian Point when its generating units retire. Every two years, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) conducts a Reliability Needs Assessment (RNA), which assesses whether adequate generation and transmission resources exist to ensure the reliability of New York’s bulk power system. In its most recent (2018) RNA, the NYISO concluded that even with Indian Point’s retirement, there will be no reliability concerns for New York’s electric system over at least the next 10 years without a new Danskammer plant. Further, given the recent, very large increase in proposed renewable energy projects as a result of the adoption of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), future generation needs are expected to be met by renewable resources supported by energy storage.
The new Danskammer plant will emit far more air pollution than the existing plant. Given the dramatic increase in operating hours, harmful air pollutants that threaten public health and contribute to climate change will increase significantly, which Danskammer admits in its own regulatory filings. These pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides – both ozone precursors – as well as greenhouse gas emissions, which are projected to increase by more than 4,000%!
In April, the American Lung Association published their State of the Air® 2020. This report gave the Hudson Valley’s air quality a “D” average rating, with many counties ranking among the worst in the state. Air pollution particularly aggravates chronic diseases, including asthma, while extended exposure reduces life expectancy. Given the worrying public health issues caused by the region’s existing pollution, building a new power plant that will exponentially increase annual emissions is a giant step backward.
Infographics
Pollutants
Actual Emissions from Current Plant vs Projected Emissions from New Plant
Greenhouse Gases
Actual Emissions from Current Plant vs Projected Emissions from New Plant
Timeline
Danskammer Event Timeline
Rally to Oppose Danskammer, Town of Newburgh
Rise for Climate, Jobs and Justice Danskammer Forum, Newburgh
Danskammer files its Public Involvement Plan with the NYS Siting Board
A Legacy Reignited
The compelling STOP THE PLANT illustration was created in 2002 by renowned artist, graphic designer and Hudson Valley resident Woody Pirtle to mobilize grassroots opposition to another irresponsible industrial project along the Hudson River—the St. Lawrence Cement Plant in Hudson (Columbia County). Like the proposed Danskammer facility, this plant would have caused a massive increase in pollution and permanently prevented Hudson residents from reconnecting with their waterfront.
Featured on posters and lawn signs, Woody’s design provided indispensable support as the 7-year campaign waged by local and regional environmental groups heated up. They achieved victory in 2005, when New York State refused to grant the permit required for the project.
We thank Woody for allowing us to reuse this icon of protest art to convey the urgency of our current campaign. And we’re grateful to illustrator/animator Josh McKible, also a valley resident passionate about our communities’ environmental health, for bringing Woody’s poster design to life for this new campaign.
