NRG Astoria plant appeals hearing draws opposition
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Opponents of the NRG Energy plant in Astoria spoke out against the project again earlier this week during an appeals hearing. Rendering courtesy of NRG
By Rachel Vick
During an appeals hearing on Tuesday, Queens residents, environmental advocates and lawmakers once again condemned the proposal to upgrade the NRG Energy gas power plant in Astoria.
The adjudicatory hearing was held as part of an appeals process started by NRG after the Department of Environmental Conservation denied its permits to build a peaker plant in October 2021. The hearing was dominated by comments in opposition to the proposal.
“Governor Hochul and her Department of Environmental Conservation made the right decision in rejecting the Astoria NRG fracked gas plant,” said Laura Shindell, a senior organizer with Food & Water Watch. “NRG’s appeal of the DEC’s rejection is a fool’s errand — Astoria residents and our elected officials have made it crystal clear that we are adamantly opposed to this project.”
Comptroller Brad Lander joined local elected officials including Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and Councilmember Tiffany Caban to speak out against the appeal, explaining that approval would only serve to “undermine our efforts to meet our climate goals and burden the community that surrounds it for generations to come.”
“The climate crisis is the biggest risk facing New York City and we can't wait to address it,” Lander said. “We must prioritize the clean energy transition and say no to projects that prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.”
DEC denied the permits for the proposed upgrades — replacing old turbines with higher efficiency models — to the plant used to jumpstart the city’s electrical grid during periods of heavy use.
The state agency said the plan violated the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, a 2019 law outlining sustainability goals including greenhouse gas emission-free electricity by 2040.
Though NRG promised the plant would have the capacity to switch to renewable sources in the future, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said without anything concrete, “the proposed project would be inconsistent with… the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limits.”
Health concerns for the surrounding community nicknamed Asthma Alley, which is on a watchlist for environmental justice concerns for the prevalence of respiratory illness, also played a role in the decision.
NRG Spokesperson Dave Schrader said the plan to upgrade the peaker plant remains an essential part of meeting the city’s energy needs, disagreeing with the claims it exists in opposition to climate goals.
“NRG pursued an adjudicatory hearing of the NYSDEC’s decision because the denial was both legally and factually flawed and the NYSDEC exceeded its authority to deny the permit based on its interpretation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act,” he said. “NRG remains committed to providing reliable backup power to New York City and its ratepayers. Recent events have demonstrated in very clear terms the importance of having a robust energy mix to ensure the lights stay on.”
The next step is a pre-adjudicatory issues conference to be conducted virtually by Administrative Law Judge Martin O'Connell at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 13.
