Different Plant, Similar Threat, Same Graphics

Twenty or so years ago, when the threat to the Hudson River and the Hudson Valley was the Greenport Project, the giant cement plant proposed by St. Lawrence Cement, one of the troika opposing the plant, along with Friends of Hudson and The Olana Partnership, was the Hudson Valley Preservation Coalition, led by Scenic Hudson, with such partners as Historic Hudson, HADA (Hudson Antiques Dealers Association), and Hudson River Heritage. In 2002, Woody Pirtle designed this poster for the HVPC.

Eighteen years later, similar graphics are being used by the opposition to the expansion of the Danskammer fracked gas plant downriver in Newburgh.  

Again led by Scenic Hudson, the Stop Danskammer Coalition is made up of environmental organizations, among them Riverkeeper, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, the Sierra Club, as well as community groups, faith-based congregations, elected officials, businesses, residents, health professionals, and first responders. The coalition's website stoptheplant.org says this about the expansion plan:

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.

To learn more about the proposed project and to find out how to take action, go to stoptheplant.org.
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