New gas plant approved in Newark despite community objections over health and pollution

A state sewer commission approved a controversial gas-fired backup power plant in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, drawing opposition from residents who say it adds to the area’s already heavy pollution burden.

Emilie Lounsberry reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission voted 6-2 to approve a fourth power plant in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, citing the need for emergency backup power after a major outage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Opponents, including local residents, health workers, and environmental advocates, objected during a five-hour hearing, pointing to asthma and other health issues tied to the area’s industrial pollution and invoking New Jersey’s 2020 Environmental Justice Law.
While the commission added pollution monitors and limited the plant to backup use, it rejected full reliance on battery or solar power, arguing that space and reliability constraints made those options unworkable.

Key quote:

“It’s an affront to environmental justice. If we can allow a new gas plant in what I would consider one of the most overburdened communities in New Jersey….then the law is meaningless.”

— Sam DiFalco, representative of Food & Water Watch

Why this matters:

The Ironbound neighborhood is a textbook example of environmental injustice: overwhelmed by highways, incinerators, factories, and truck traffic, and now home to four power plants. Residents, many of them immigrants and low-income families, already suffer from some of the state’s highest rates of asthma and cardiovascular disease. Adding a new gas plant, even one slated only for emergencies, increases exposure to harmful air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. These pollutants can worsen existing health issues and linked to developmental harm in children and higher death rates from respiratory illness. As climate change brings more storms, communities like Ironbound bear the brunt of both energy vulnerabilities and pollution fallout.

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California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

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