Activity Report
August 2002
I have been contacted by a grass roots group trying to fight a power
plant proposed to be built on a wooded section along the Delaware River
in Bordentown. The group is called Citizens Opposed to the Power Plant
(COPP). They have asked me for Sierra Club support. I informed them
that I would have to get Club permission to start making statements to
the press or to say that Sierra had joined the Coalition. Tina
suggested that I bring this up at the August meeting so everyone could
vote on it. Here is some advanced warning of what it is all about. The
following is taken from information that COPP gathered. Please review
it so you can make an informed decision when it comes up for a vote at
the Con-Comm meeting or Excomm meeting.
To The Citizens of Bordentown Township and Surrounding Communities:
There is a proposal by Conectiv before our community to allow the
building of an electric power generation plant at the southern end of
Bordentown Township. Thus far, the proposal has been presented to the
public with a decidedly pro-power plant spin.
It is our intention to try to provide as much information about the
Conectiv proposal to the public as possible in the hope that the final
decision on the subject will be made by an informed public. We know you
will be able to analyze the relative merits of the scheme against the
damaging effects that such a project inevitably brings.
The proposed site is located west of Route 130 and Burlington Street
across from Crystal Lake and the new low income housing project. The
site is the ONLY ACCESSIBLE RIVERFRONT PROPERTY IN BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP.
Economic Issues
Power plants do not increase property values.
The effect on property values is obvious. In fact, any residential
property anywhere near a power plant is negatively impacted; and with
over 200-foot smokestacks you can't hide the proximity of the plant even
if it is not operating. If it is operating, it will be obvious even in
the dark because you will hear it. Power plants are noisy. If you want
to see how noisy they really are we have several in the area you can
drive by and listen for yourself.
Someone is going to have high tension towers in his or her backyard.
The power generated must be distributed to the power grid. This is
accomplished by constructing towers and hanging aerial cables from them
to convey the power to the destination. Everyone is familiar with the
technique, but someone is going to have high tension towers in his or
her backyard.
Twenty Story Smokestacks
The aesthetic impact on the township will be enormous. The proposal
includes smokestacks that are over 210 feet high. That's TWENTY STORIES!
Structures of this height will be visible from all of Bordentown
Township, Bordentown City, and Fieldsboro as well as a good deal of
Mansfield Township.
You think you are immune because you live far enough away.
If you live in the north end of the township and you think this doesn't
affect you, keep in mind that the revenue lost by a reduction in
property values at the south end of the township will be made up by
somebody. Guess who?
Power plants are not taxed like you are!
The Gross Receipts and Franchise Tax is paid to and controlled by the
State of New Jersey and is based on the amount of power sold. Conectiv
says they will only operate the plant at peak demand periods, when it
doesn't run there are no receipts. You should demand to know exactly
what this plant would do financially for your community.
Environmental Issues
The Brownfield Myth
There has been a good deal of talk regarding "brownfields". A brownfield
is a site known by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
to be contaminated to some degree. These sites are restricted in terms
of how they can be used unless they are cleaned up. The degree of clean
up goes from nothing to extensive depending on contamination types and
levels and the intended use. The proposed power plant will not occupy a
brownfield site. In fact, the actual construction would be in a wooded
area along the Delaware River, which is not a prior industrial site. The
former marine salvage yard that is the brownfield site (and constitutes
about 5% of the total site) would be used only to provide a buffer zone
between the noisy plant and the developments under construction in
Bordentown and Mansfield townships. No development is slated for the
brownfield portion of the site.
There are tax incentives for industry to utilize brownfield sites so
Conectiv would actually reap some financial benefit from the inclusion
of the former marine salvage yard.
Enormous Quantities of Emissions
The plant will use gas turbines as the power source to spin the
generators. Gas turbines are capable of burning a wide variety of fuels.
Conectiv says they intend to fire the plant on natural gas with an oil
backup. While natural gas is the cleanest burning option available, this
plant will burn enormous quantities of fuel and, as a result, produce
tremendous quantities of emissions.
The harmful components of the stack emissions will be primarily Oxides
of Nitrogen, which result from the combustion process dissociating the
nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere and recombining them with oxygen to
form the oxides of nitrogen. These Oxides are the primary component of
the brown haze commonly known as SMOG and are a major contributor to
acid rain and respiratory irritation. If the gas contains any sulfur,
the emissions will contain sulfur dioxide as well. Sulfur dioxide is a
respiratory irritant and when it combines with atmospheric moisture
produces sulfuric acid, which falls to earth as acid rain.
If the alternative of fuel oil is used, the emissions picture is
considerably more complicated. In addition to the above, the combustion
process will produce particulate emissions as well as gaseous emissions
from all of the additives and refinery by-products in fuel oil. These
minor components of the fuel will contribute their own complex compounds
to the emission mix.
Asthma Afflicted?
If you or a member of your family suffers from asthma the emissions from
such a large plant are especially troublesome. It is well documented
that these pollutants are significant irritants to asthma patients and
allergic individuals. There is some evidence that cumulative low level
exposures can create health problems and that embryonic and childhood
exposures may create developmental problems.
Spills and Leaks
While all the talk is about burning natural gas, the facilities to burn
oil are part of the Conectiv proposal and, if the price of gas rises,
the plant will surely fire on oil. In fact, the previous proposal in
Roebling included a 1,000,000-gallon oil tank on the site for fuel oil
storage. The details of any tank farm, fuel transport, and unloading
facility in the current proposal have not been discussed in any of the
presentations or literature disseminated thus far. Dow Chemical at one
time proposed a chemical tank farm on this site that was soundly
rejected by the citizens of Bordentown Township.
Thermal Pollution
Conectiv wants to locate this plant on the river to provide a ready
source of cooling water. The fact that the water is used for cooling
means it will be returned to the river at a much higher temperature than
that at which it was withdrawn. The impact on the ecology of the river
around Newbold Island could be severe. Because the water will be pumped
through the power plant there is always a possibility that contaminants
may be introduced into the water before it is discharged.
What Conservation?
The land in consideration for the Conectiv project has been zoned
"Conservation". Anyone can go to the Municipal Building and look at the
zoning map. You might even believe that you understand what you are
looking at. However, when the contents of the fine print are disclosed
one learns that the zoning definition of conservation bears no
resemblance to the Webster's definition; which states "1. The act of
conserving; preservation from loss, injury, decay, or waste. 2. The
official protection of rivers, forests, and other natural resources".
Indeed, "our" zoning definition of conservation allows virtually any
type of development in a conservation zone except power plants! That
however is easily fixed by revising the zoning as the Township Committee
is in the process of doing. If you are one of the taxpayers that has
been misled by this constructive interpretation of what "conservation"
means you are not alone. To add insult to injury, the "conservation
zone" on the zoning map is even colored green!
In fact, the Township Master Plan for development specifically excludes
so called smoke stack industries, yet this proposal is on a fast track;
enjoying the benefit of being championed by some of our elected
officials when they should take an impartial role. There seems to be
less deliberation on clearing the way for a power plant than there was
for a convenience store proposal, even though the long-term impact will
be irreversible and will affect us for generations. The Township
Committee has already begun the process by declaring the area a
Redevelopment Area, which in itself is not bad, but it makes moving the
power plant forward easier. This same approach was tried in Roebling
prior to the overwhelming rejection of Conectiv's proposal in that
community.
Resident Endangered Species
If you have not yet heard, part of the proposed site is now home to a
nesting pair of Bald Eagles and their two young; apparently they took
the "Conservation Zone" to heart! Bordentown parents can now tell their
children that the National Symbol is something other than a picture and
you don't have to travel very far to see it.
Shortnose sturgeons, an endangered species of fish, also make their home
around Newbold Island. Fish by the thousands are sucked into industrial
pump intakes and destroyed every day.
The Conectiv Legacy
Who exactly is Conectiv?
Who exactly is Conectiv anyway? Conectiv is about to be acquired by
Potomac Electric Power Company, so by year-end they will not be who they
were, and they have only been Conectiv since 1998! The new company will
be owned by a holding company headquartered in Washington D.C. They
serve no customers in our area and have no stake in our community. A
multi-billion dollar faceless conglomerate far removed from Bordentown
will make decisions affecting our community and your family.
Conectiv's Negative Environmental Strategy
In fact, Conectiv's environmental compliance strategy was to not provide
adequate emissions controls at all, but to purchase emissions credits
from companies that had exceeded the state mandated emissions reduction
requirements. Conectiv then continued to operate sub-standard plants
emitting excess pollutants. Would you choose these people for new
neighbors?
Violations and Fines
Conectiv's environmental record is less than exemplary. A quick search
of newspaper articles in their home region turned up numerous violations
of environmental permits and some hefty fines including:
- $2,000,000 for exceeding New Jersey limits on Oxides of Nitrogen
emissions at six plants
- $350,000 for illegally discharging 600,000 gallons of oil into the
Indian River
- $100,000 for violations of air permit requirements in Delaware
What Can You Do?
- Let the Bordentown Township Committee and Planning Board know where
you stand
- Go to Township meetings and be heard (The next one is Monday August
5th , 7:30PM, at Municipal Hall)
- Ask questions and demand specific answers
- Write letters to the Mayor or the newspaper
- Tell your friends and neighbors about the power plant -- Get others
involved
- Residents of Fieldsboro, Bordentown City, and Mansfield Township
contact your local government and have them stand up for you
It is my feeling that this site was chosen because the town is a
blue-collar working class neighborhood and Conectiv and the local
politicos who are backing this think they won't get any opposition
because Conectiv can afford the lawsuits.
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