New York City
Chapter sues to prevent massive fish kills by power plant
Rachel Treichler, Sierra Club attorney for the Ravenswood lawsuit, recently spoke at a program organized by the NYC Group about how the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s lax water permitting allows billions of fish to be slaughtered unnecessarily to make electricity.
Gil Hawkins, president, Hudson River Fishermen’s Association (HRFA), also spoke.
They discussed the DEC’s failure to mandate closed-cycle cooling as it implements New York’s new water withdrawal permitting law. The Sierra Club and HRFA have filed a lawsuit challenging the DEC’s failure to mandate a closed-cycle cooling system in the first water withdrawal permit issued under the new law to Trans-Canada’s Ravenswood power plant in Queens.
The permit would allow the plant to withdraw up to 1.5 billion gallons per day from the East River for its once-through cooling system. The lawsuit asserts that DEC’s failure to require a closed-cycle cooling system violates the water conservation requirements of the new law. The suit also claims DEC violated the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), state coastal zone laws and the public trust doctrine.
Studies show that Ravenswood’s once-through cooling system is responsible for drawing in hundreds of millions of fish eggs and larvae each year, and killing almost 100,000 adult and juvenile fish. These fish kills could be reduced by as much as 98% with a closed-cycle cooling system.
“The damage to New York Harbor caused by the vast Ravenswood fish kills must be minimized before a permit to withdraw 1.5 billion gallons of water per day from the East River is issued to Ravenswood,” Hawkins said. “Surely the water conservation requirements of the new law mandate a closed-cycle cooling systems at the Ravenswood plant.
New York’s new water withdrawal permitting requirements must be implemented responsibly or great harm may be done to the entire Hudson River system.”
Protecting New York harbor from power plant fish kills has been a concern of both Sierra Club and HRFA for many years. Among the many accomplishments of HRFA are stopping the mass slaughter of striped bass by the first Indian Point nuclear power plant, and exposing cover-ups of the fish kills. HRFA also participated in an administrative challenge to the fish kills caused by the once-through cooling system at the Danskammer power plant on the Hudson River that was decided in 2006.
In 2011, the Sierra Club released a report, “Giant Fish Blenders: How Power Plants Kill Fish and Damage Our Waterways (And What Can Be Done to Stop Them),” as part of a campaign to end the devastating impacts that large water withdrawals can have upon aquatic ecosystems.
The report notes that the Hudson is one of the most biodiverse temperate estuaries on the planet, and that fish kills from power plants in the harbor damage the entire spectrum of wildlife in the aquatic ecosystem at all life stages.
No decision has been issued in the case.
Iroquois
Three busloads march to fight climate change
We did it! Three full buses made the red-eye express and lots of others went down early for the People’s Climate March. It took so much communication and hard work that I am sure most are still recovering both from the planning, lack of sleep, and amazing excitement. To be part of a 400,000 march to tell the world and the UN that the world leaders must step up and address Climate Change is an experience long remembered.
This is also my opportunity to publicly thank those who made this all possible. The list is long: The patient bus companies, the bus drivers and their cheerful attitudes, University leaders for extra cooperation, Lowe’s Home Improvement for space in the parking lot, folks from Utica and Cortland with their contingents, every member of our excom for trying to sort out the stacks of e-mails and step up to help, and everyone who got on a bus!
The big thanks goes to our six-plus bus captains for keeping spirits up, getting petitions/ waivers signed, and making sure everyone got there, and home! At the helm of all this chaos for Iroquois are three special people, David Fischer, Michelle Wolfe, and Sandy Porter. Their endless efforts deserve a rousing thank you!
MARTHA LOEW