Advocates: A Renewable Energy Proposal for the City Could Hurt South Bronx
Mott Haven Herald
By: John Honan
A proposal to ramp up the amount of renewable energy the city uses as a proportion of its overall energy consumption, is raising concerns over potential health risks the project may pose for Mott Haven residents and businesses.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in April that New York City would partner with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), to increase renewable sources such as wind and solar to the city, as part of the State’s Tier 4 Renewable Energy plan. The blueprint calls for running power from the Catskills southward to Queens.
Advocates strongly agree that clean energy is vital for the environment and would help the city’s economic recovery from the pandemic, through the creation of green jobs. But some worry that a proposal known as Clean Path NY, which calls for the creation of an AC to DC converter station under the former Bronx Terminal Market on Exterior Street, would put additional burdens on the neighborhood known as Asthma Alley.
