Danskammer Power Plant

The owner of the Danskammer power plant on the Hudson River in the Town of Newburgh has wanted to expand the current facility — which operates approximately five days a year — to build one that would run virtually nonstop.

But after six years of opposition from environmental leaders and advocates including the Stop Danskammer Coalition, in June 2024, Danskammer withdrew their application for a Title V air permit. Under the federal Clean Air Act, Danskammer can not move forward with their proposal without this permit! This is a huge victory for local environmental justice communities – and everyone in the Hudson Valley and the Northeast!

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had previously denied Danskammer’s application for a permit under New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Enacted in 2019, the CLCPA mandates a transition to a clean energy power system that will head off climate change while providing jobs, creating healthier communities, and ensuring environmental justice for all.

Danskammer commenced two appeals of DEC’s October 2021 decision: a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court and an administrative appeal before DEC.  (Read the DEC’s October 2021 decision here.)  In June 2022, the Supreme Court upheld DEC’s decision and agreed that the CLCPA mandated denial of permits that would be inconsistent with the state’s climate goals. Prior to this, an overwhelming number of citizen activists had spoken out against the plant and submitted comments.