By Gene Robbins, Managing Editor
The New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club has come out strongly against a proposal to build a natural gas-fired power plant between Hamilton and Amwell roads.
Genesis Power LLC is looking to build the plant in what the club calls “an environmentally sensitive area near the Delaware and Raritan Canal,” officers of the non-profit citizens group said in a press release Tuesday.
Amwell Energy has started the permitting process by going to the state Department of Environmental Protection for wetlands delineation to build a more than 640-megawatt power plant on a 423-acre farmland site.
The plant “will cause a tremendous amount of air pollution in the region, not only from the plant, but from pipelines in the area,” said Jeff Tittel, executive director of the state chapter of the Sierra Club. He said the proposed site contains wetlands and “important” streams and the club was also concerned “about its impact to the D&R Canal greenway and drinking source for over one million people,” he said.
Then-Mayor Douglas Tomson said at a Township Committee meeting on Dec. 15 that the township government was monitoring the application. Neighbors of the tract have received letters notifying them of the company’s request for a state environmental determination of wetlands on the site.
According to paperwork filed with the township, the applicant is Amwell Energy Center LLC, with an address in Needham, Mass. The land is owned by family trusts in the names of Lee F. Mindel, Meg. J. Marchese, Susan Sprinberg, Sunny Ridless and Helaine Menkin.
The applicant conducted site analyses in May, June, September and October, the application says.
Mr. Tittel said it was “the wrong plant in the wrong place.”
“It is not only going to bring in more air and water pollution, it will destroy open space. . . .They would build an at least 200-foot-high smokestack in a scenic and rural area, with its steam from its cooling towers containing a lot of chemicals. This plant would be a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by emitting nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and methane affecting people’s lungs in the area.”
Mr. Tittel said, “This is Hillsborough, not Linden. This plant doesn’t belong here or anywhere. This plant goes also against the town’s zoning and Master Plan and we are concerned it could open up the area for more industrial development. This plant will also impact people’s health who live near the plant.”
He said steam coming off cooling towers might contain “chemical drift.”
“The plant’s cooling towers would not only take one million gallons (of water) per day from the canal, which would be depletive use, but also release toxic chemicals into the environment,” he said.
“The chemical drift would discharge into the water itself, including heavy metals like mercury and lead, as well as fungicides, algaecides and anti-corrosives. This is an environmental hazard that can kill plants and harms people.”
With a plant producing at least 640 megawatts, “Hillsborough would also see thousands of tons of air pollutants, which fine particulates causing asthma, bronchitis, and impacting people with heart disease and lung disease,” he said.
Mr. Tittel said the Hillsborough site has been proposed for a power plant because it would hook into the new Transco Leidy Loop pipeline, encouraging “secondary pollution impacts from fracking and pipeline leaks in the region.”
He said the plant is the consequence of the expansion of more than 15 natural gas pipelines proposed in the state.
“What we see happening is we are awash in natural-gas electricity. Without this expansion of pipelines, we would not see all of these new power plants. We could even be seeing more power plant proposals throughout New Jersey,” he said.
“This plant would be the fifth natural gas plant being built and going online, along with plants in Newark, Woodbridge, Sewaren and West Deptford.”
He said a power plant at the Hillsborough site “would be bringing in another gas plant to the region that New Jersey doesn’t need.” This plant would also add more greenhouse gases and take away from investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
Genesis Power proposal would intersect three existing Texas Eastern interstate gas pipelines, as well as high-voltage electric transmission lines, which would require more pipeline upgrades, he said.
He said, in addition to the transport of natural gas, the plant could burn oil in the winter “when there is not enough natural gas and high demand for electricity.”
That would require storage of “at least half-million to one million gallons of oil on site. There would then be a chance of an oil leak impacting the canal, as well as bring in thousands of oil trucks coming in day.”
Methane would be released from the burning of natural gas, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, he said.
“This proposal would just add more fossil fuel power instead of clean renewable energy and energy efficiency,” said Mr. Tittel.
Mr. Tittel said New Jersey should be ending subsidies for traditional power sources and investing in renewable energy and demand response — contrary to actions of the Christie administration, he said.
“New Jersey was a leader in clean energy and energy efficiency before Governor Christie,” said Mr. Tittel. “The Christie Administration has cut clean energy programs while supporting pipelines and dirty fuels.”
The Hillsborough project “will destroy town’s rural character, put the D&R Canal at risk, and harm the environment. We oppose this plant because its unneeded and unnecessary as well as have tremendous impacts on our air and water,” he said.
