Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski testified and submitted his comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) during their scoping review of the Stony Point gasification plant. The company New Planet Energy has proposed a gasification plant that would take garbage, primarily from New York City, and convert it into diesel fuel. The plant would operate near Holt Drive in the Town of Stony Point; less than a half mile from the Town of Haverstraw. After Assemblyman Zebrowski and Haverstraw Supervisor Phillips expressed concerns regarding the regional environmental impacts of this type of industrial activity, the DEC decided to be the lead agency for the Environmental Review. The alternative would have allowed the Town of Stony Point, which has positively received the proposal, to complete the environmental review.

“This type of facility could potentially have immense environmental consequences for Rockland County and the host municipality would be inappropriate to conduct this review. The DEC has the expertise necessary to conduct this review and I thank them for taking on this very important task,” said Assemblyman Zebrowski.

The DEC is currently soliciting public comments as to the scope of the project’s review. During this process, the DEC receives input regarding what should be included in their environmental review.

Assemblyman Zebrowski’s oral and written testimony focused on the need to review the air, water and noise pollution of this facility. He requested that the DEC conduct a broad review and not accept the company’s data or theories without conducting independent studies.

He is specifically concerned with the volume of truck traffic that is required by this type of industrial process. It is estimated that hundreds of trucks a day could be traveling through Rockland County to get to the facility off Route 9W in Stony Point. The DEC has suggested a review of several North Rockland intersections, however, Zebrowski called for a much broader review. The Assemblyman requested that the transportation studies include the Route 303 corridor in the Town of Clarkstown, north of the Palisades mall, which already has significant traffic issues.

“These trucks are not going to just appear in the North Rockland area; they will be traveling through several Rockland communities. The environmental review must include a study of the full corridor in order to protect the people of Clarkstown, Haverstraw and any other affected municipalities,” said Zebrowski.

The DEC will take the Assemblyman’s and all other public comments into consideration and issue a final scoping document in September 2015.