Hughes Energy, LLC is proposing to build a waste-to-fuel plant using an unproven technology called “steam autoclaving”--a process in which the garbage will be steamed and subjected to very high pressure to produce a fibrous mass that can be used for fuel, among other potential uses. The proposal includes hauling municipal solid waste throughout New York State to be processed on a site next to the Schoharie Reservoir in a very small Catskills town.
Sign the petition below to tell the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the Town of Roxbury that local communities deserve a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposal. Preparing a full EIS will require Hughes Energy LLC to detail the project’s potential environmental and health impacts, and put forth plans to mitigate those impacts. The EIS process also includes a substantial public oversight and input component--especially critical when examining the impacts of an unproven technology like this. In this instance, where state and local agencies are likely unable to flatly deny the project, a full EIS is the best tool we have to fully explore potential impacts and challenge attempts to “greenwash” a harmful project.
Petition Text
I call on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the Town of Roxbury to require Hughes Energy, LLC to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) by completing a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its proposed municipal waste treatment plant.
Hughes Energy, LLC proposes to build a “steam autoclave” plant to treat Municipal Waste in the Town of Roxbury. Pursuant to Hughes’ proposal, trucks would haul garbage from throughout New York State six days a week, from 7am - 4pm, bringing approximately seven large semi trucks per hour to a very small town with minor local and county roads.
Many of these roads are residential, with houses lining either side of the streets and no sidewalks to permit safe passage for pedestrians. Many children and animals also play near or walk across these roads: with seven semi trucks coming in every hour, the likelihood of preventable injuries or deaths will skyrocket.
Hughes Energy, LLC is describing this plant as a “green energy” project. Any facility of this size proposing to use such a substantial amount of energy to process high volumes of garbage needs a complete EIS. Inherent in this project is a high potential to damage the local ecosystem, creating air pollution and water pollution, including contaminating the Schoharie reservoir, which New York City relies upon for clean drinking water. Please require Hughes Energy, LLC to complete a full EIS--it is the only way to ensure that this proposal will receive rigorous environmental review and the opportunity for public involvement.
