Murphy gets new pressure to drop Meadowlands power plant project

By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Phil Murphy's biggest environmental booster - the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters - joined a growing coalition of local leaders and advocacy groups Thursday [09/10/2020] calling for Governor to drop a plan by NJ Transit to build a gas-fired power plant in the Meadowlands.
..... The league's unusual move of publicly calling out Murphy on an environmental issue may carry more weight since it has gained a significant voice within the administration.
..... The organization, which dubbed Murphy American's Greenest Governor" this year, [2020] says the power plant proposed in Kearny along the Hackensack River contradicts the governor's clean energy push.
..... Murphy "earned that title, and now he has to keep it, said Ed Potosnak, executive director of the league.
..... "We've had these conversations with the administration, but we though it was time to put everything in one place say it publicly," he said
..... The move comes while local leaders and other environmental groups ramp up opposition as COVID-19 restrictions continue to be relaxed in New Jersey.
..... Ten towns and cities in Hudson and Bergen counties have passed resolutions in recent weeks condemning the plan, including Jersey City, Fort Lee, Kearny and Leonia.
..... Last month [08/2020] a group of environmentalist organized by Hackensack Riverkeepers and Food & Water Watch kayaked along the river to the proposed site of the power plant and unfurled protest banners.
..... Supporting the plan is a coalition of business and labor unions called Affordable Energy for New Jersey that says the power plant would bring construction jobs and reliable energy.
..... The plant would be a key piece of an NJ Transit project called Transitgrid,which originated during Chris Christies's administration in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The $546 million project - 75% of which is funded by the federal government is an effort to keep local and Amtrack rail lines reliably powered even during extreme weather.
..... To environmentalists and some local leaders, it would mean another facility spewing the sort of pollution that is a key contributor to global warming. The plant is estimated to release 383,000 to 571,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, which would place it among New Jersey's largest single sources of greenhouse gases.
..... NJ Transit approved a key environmental review of the project this year, [2020] a major step toward construction.
.... Like many environmentalist, Potosnak said the project doesn't align with Murphy's much-praised clean energy agenda, which seeks to move New Jersey almost entirely toward renewable sources such as solar and wind by mid-certury. [2050] It also runs counter to his executive order calling for environmental justices for low-income and minority communities that have been overburdened by pollution.
..... "We urge you to hit pause on this outdated, polluting project and plan to advocate for federal funding for a greener solution to meet our transportation resiliency goals," Potsnak wrote to Murphy in an August 25 [2020] letter that he made public Thursday. [09/10/2020]
..... Many environmental advocacy groups have criticized Murphy, saying he has been inconsistent on environmental issues despite his forceful campaigning as a green candidate.
..... The League of Conservation Voters has gained influence with Murphy by continually championing his environmental agenda and rarely criticizing him. Potsnak is often on the dais when Murphy makes a major environmental announcement.
..... Matt Smith, an organizer with Food and Water Watch who has helped lead the opposition against the plant, said Potosnak may offer some sway in the fight against the plant.
... "It helps that the league has a strong relationship with the administration," Smith said. "Having them come out in opposition only helps us in trying to convince Murphy that this is a very bad project."

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