The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has denied a permit for the Danskammer Energy Center in Orange County. The company was seeking authorization to build a new natural gas-fired power generation facility in the Town of Newburgh.
Danskammer said it would provide more than 500 megawatts of generating capacity and invest $400 million in the region. But the project has faced opposition from environmentalists. Danskammer currently operates as a peaker plant.
In a statement, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says the proposal is not in compliance with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and would interfere with the state’s greenhouse gas emissions limits set in the legislation.
Danskammer has not responded to a request for comment.
DEC also denied a similar permit for Astoria Gas Turbine Power for a proposed natural gas facility in Queens.
"I applaud the Department of Environmental Conservation's decisions to deny the Title V Permits for the Danskammer Energy Center and Astoria Gas Turbine Power, LLC in the context of our state's clean energy transition," Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. "Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and we owe it to future generations to meet our nation-leading climate and emissions reduction goals."
