New Jersey environmental justice law won’t block power plant hotly fought by Newark residents

Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey has decided to move let a proposal for a backup power plant at one of the country’s largest sewage treatment facilities move forward. Newark residents have put up a hard fight against it, and they’re angry about the decision. The existing plant dumped some 840 million gallons of raw sewage into waterways when Superstorm Sandy knocked out electricity there in 2012. Thursday’s decision is the first major action under an environmental justice law designed to prevent additional pollution in overburdened communities. Officials say they new plant’s design will mean a net decrease in pollution from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission facility. Residents say they already bear more than their fair share of pollution.