The undersigned organizations write to you today in opposition to the NJ TRANSITGRID, a 140-megawatt gas-fired power plant proposed in the Kearny Meadowlands. According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, this $526 million taxpayer funded project would emit up to 576,757 tons of CO2e each year. The project presents a wide range of serious negative public health, safety, economic and environmental impacts, and threatens the historic and ongoing recovery of the Hackensack River and New Jersey Meadowlands. At a time when we must rapidly transition our grid off fossil fuels and onto 100% clean renewables, approving a new power plant that would burn fracked gas 24/7 for decades would reverse progress on the region’s clean energy and climate mitigation accomplishments.

Gas-fired power plants such as the Transgrid pose numerous risks to human and environmental health in the region. Fracked gas power plants, also known as natural gas power plants, emit Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), produce particulate matter (PM), and contribute to ground level ozone. PM can affect the heart and lungs and cause serious health effects. According to your Department of Environmental Protection, exposure to ozone can make the lungs more vulnerable to developing pulmonary diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis. When ground-level ozone levels are high, people with asthma are at risk of severe attacks. However, the DEP says that even healthy adults and children are vulnerable to reduced lung function and increased lung inflammation from ozone.

Approving another major power plant within 10 miles of the existing PSE&G plant and the proposed North Bergen Liberty Generating Project would create serious cumulative public health and environmental impacts for the surrounding communities, especially for low income communities of color who already suffer from a disproportionate pollution burden.

Constructing and operating a new power plant in the region also risks further damage to the surrounding wetlands ecosystem. Wetlands serve many functions benefiting the human and natural environment: they are a natural filtration system, purifying the water we drink and use in daily life. They also preserve biodiversity by hosting a number of plant and animal species, and they play a crucial role in climate change mitigation by absorbing storm waters, protecting residential communities in nearby flood zones. The construction of, and pollution from, the proposed plant could affect the quality and quantity of water flows, thereby harming the delicate animal and plant habitats in the wetlands and undermining their critical hydrological functions. Any damage to vegetation or soil from heavy machinery could also reduce the water retention capacity of the wetlands and increase runoff.  A United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service report states:  “One percent of organic matter in the top six inches of soil holds approximately 27,000 gallons of water per acre.”  Removal of this minimal amount of organic matter can have significant water flow implications, especially in a flood prone area.In addition, the site of the proposed power plant has a protective cap covering toxic materials which could be disturbed by construction, putting wildlife and water at risk.

Climate change is an urgent and severe threat to New Jersey. Rising sea levels, increased storm events, and other climate impacts put our environment and communities at risk. According to a 2018 report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we may now have as few as 11 years to reach critical levels in stopping greenhouse gas emissions before the Earth reaches a dangerous temperature. A Rutgers study notes that sea level may rise almost 3 feet by 2100. New Jersey must work quickly to mitigate climate change.

In November of 2017, The Regional Plan Association (RPA) released its Fourth Regional Plan to help elected officials, policymakers, and advocates plan for the region’s future. The Plan found that "of all the places in the tri-state region challenged by increased flooding from climate change, the New Jersey Meadowlands is at greatest risk." It also concluded that "The Meadowlands are likely to be one of the first places to be permanently inundated from sea-level rise." The Plan calls on New Jersey to work with the federal government to make the Meadowlands a national park to demonstrate how properly managed natural landscapes can help mitigate the impacts of climate change. A national-park designation would also help preserve and restore the Meadowlands' natural habitats, protect nearby communities, and make it a recreational resource for the entire region. Approving a new, long term power plant in the region would create both known and unknown risks associated with increased flooding and sea level rise predicted in the region, and runs counter to these important regional planning objectives.

The sunk investment costs in a new source of greenhouse gas emissions also discourage investments in clean, renewable energy, and magnifies demand for natural gas, encouraging more fracking, pipelines and the associated leaks of the potent greenhouse gas, methane. Moreover, natural gas power plants are long-lived assets. Gas power plants lock in fossil fuel dependence and environmental damage for decades to come. The average New Jersey gas-fired power plant went online 23 years ago and 13 percent of the state’s gas plants went online more than 40 years ago.

Methane emissions from gas power plants alone may be considerably higher than thought. A 2017 study found that gas-fired power plants released more than 20 times more methane than the facilities estimated; and, the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas is actually worse than coal and oil because methane traps 86 times more heat in the atmosphere over a 20 year period than CO2. Building natural gas power plants will further accelerate greenhouse gas emissions in New Jersey at a time when we must rapidly reduce our climate pollution to avoid warming of 2° Celsius, a threshold that would cause runaway climate catastrophe.

The future of energy jobs in New Jersey lies in clean, renewable power like solar and wind energy, as well as in increased energy efficiency. Approving this project would represent a huge step backwards from your administration’s stated goal of achieving 100% clean energy for New Jersey. Oil and gas jobs are dangerous, unstable and unsustainable. While the fossil fuel industry claims that shifting to renewable energy would cost jobs and hurt the economy, the reality is that twice as many New Jerseyans already work in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors (over 41,000 jobs) than in fossil fuels (almost 19,000 jobs), according to Department of Energy data. Shifting to 100 percent renewable energy and investing in energy efficiency upgrades would supercharge the clean energy sector and provide even more jobs. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, solar installers and wind turbine technicians are among the top two fastest-growing occupations in the country. Transitioning to renewable energy protects the environment, curbs climate change, and provides safer employment for our workers.

The DEP recently released its draft EMP in which it sets ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gases and increasing the percent of energy from sources having a net zero carbon footprint.  Allowing the Transitgrid to be built (not to mention about a dozen other gas infrastructure projects) will dramatically increase the percent of greenhouse gases from electricity generation and seriously undermine the ability of yours and future administrations to achieve the EMP’s goals.  

Governor Murphy, you campaigned on the promise of reversing years of delayed action on climate change under the Christie administration by creating a new energy master plan to achieve 100% truly clean energy for our state. The only way we can protect our communities from the worst impacts of climate change is by stopping the expansion of all new fossil fuel infrastructure projects, and mandating an aggressive and equitable transition to 100% renewable energy. The Trump administration’s environmental deregulation continues to set us back, making strong action from our state government even more urgent. We hope that you heard the student leaders and the 500 people that marched in the streets on May 18th against the first proposed Meadowlands Power Plant. Yoon Yung Kim, a high school student at Palisades Park said. “Today we live in a world where we have to fight for the privilege to breathe clean air.” We need you to fight alongside us for clean air and a livable climate. We ask that you do everything in your power to protect the public health, safety, economy and environment of our New Jersey communities by opposing the second proposed power plant in the Meadowlands, the NJ Transitgrid.

Sincerely,