Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood faces a proposed backup power plant despite New Jersey’s environmental justice law, raising concerns about increased pollution in an already burdened community.
Emilie Lounsberry reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, home to 50,000 residents, already houses major polluting facilities like sewage plants and trash incinerators.
- A new gas-fired backup power plant, intended for emergencies, has drawn backlash for potentially adding to pollution, with critics citing better renewable alternatives.
- Advocates argue the project undermines the state’s 2020 environmental justice law, which aims to protect overburdened communities from new sources of pollution.
Key quote:
“This is not merely a matter of preference but of survival and dignity. They have already endured too much.”
— Religious leaders from the Faith in New Jersey coalition writing in protest of the power plant
Why this matters:
Ironbound residents, many low-income or immigrants, already suffer high asthma rates and other pollution-linked health issues. Adding more emissions contradicts efforts to combat climate change and perpetuates environmental and health inequities.
Related: Pollution, Poverty, and People of Color: Asthma and the Inner City
