Environmental Activists Rally Residents To Retire Coal Plant

Community activists on Saturday rallied support in the South End to urge utility giant PSEG to transition the coal-fired power plant that they argue contributes to high asthma rates in the city and large amounts of coal dust in the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

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On Saturday, November 14, 2015, community members and volunteers with Healthy CT Alliance held a press conference in the South End announcing the start of a community member-led initiative to increase resident involvement in calling for the retirement of the Bridgeport Harbor Station. Volunteers and local environmental activists stressed the importance of neighbor-to-neighbor conversations in the effort to educate the community about the health and environmental effects of living near a coal plant.

Bridgeport resident and volunteer Jorge Cruz announced that the initiative would focus on a collection of surveys regarding resident’s opinions on the coal plant. “The survey asks questions that are meant to get people thinking,” said Cruz. “We want to talk with people about the extremely high asthma rates in this city. We want to hear from folks whose windows and streets are dirty from coal dust that travels from the mountains of uncovered coal dust on PSEG’s property. We want to hear resident’s opinion about redevelopment of the land, and come up with ways that we can work together to achieve cleaner air in Bridgeport. The survey allows us to start that conversation.”

The survey, created by Healthy CT Alliance members, will be filled out during in-person interactions outside grocery stores, at community events, and during door-to-door conversations this winter. The group hopes to use the survey as a bridge for conversation and engagement. Bridgeport Harbor Station is the last operating coal-fired power plant in the state of Connecticut. According to EPA emissions data, the plant released 910,000 tons of greenhouse gases into the air last year. Coal-fired plants emit fine particle pollution, which is a complex mixture of soot, heavy metals, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. Some of the particles are small enough to evade the lung’s natural defenses, enter the bloodstream, and travel to vital organs.

The most severe impacts occur among the elderly, children, and those with respiratory disease. While the health risks are greatest within a three-mile radius of the plant, studies show that everyone within 30 miles of the plant is at risk. “The American Lung Association awarded Fairfield County a failing grade for air quality,” said Diane Lentakis. “I cannot stress enough that we need community involvement on this issue. Participation in a proposed future environmental task force would be one of the ways for Bridgeport residents to express their concerns and partake in the city’s “Green” transition.” Lentakis serves as the liaison between 350CT, Sierra Club, and Healthy CT Alliance.

“If you drive down near the PSEG property, you can see the massive piles of uncovered coal sitting behind the machinery,” said Sarah Lewis, Healthy CT Alliance community organizer. “Bridgeport Harbor Station’s continued burning of coal to create electricity is outdated technology, and has numerous health and environmental impacts on the surrounding area. These conversations are a launch pad to get hundreds more Bridgeport residents involved in calling for the retirement of the plant.”

The plant is owned and operated by the New Jersey-based utility giant PSEG. Healthy CT Alliance and its affiliated organizations are calling on PSEG’s CEO Ralph Izzo to retire the coal-fired power plant, collaborate with the community to ensure economic development of the harbor front property, and to ensure a just transition for the employees.

Healthy Connecticut Alliance is a group of concerned Bridgeport and Connecticut residents who are calling on PSEG to retire the Harbor Station plant. We envision a healthy and sustainable future for Bridgeport communities, a future that is ‘beyond coal.’

Partner organizations include the Sierra Club, Toxics Action Center, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice, 350CT, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, and Conservation Law Foundation.