After A Year Of Protests, Queens Borough Prez Opposes Gas Plant

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said on Wednesday that he opposes NRG’s proposal to replace its fossil-fuel burning plant in Astoria with a gas-powered facility — over a year after environmental advocates, and a growing list of elected officials, began protesting the project.

Richards said that NRG’s proposed fracked-gas plant should “not move forward,” and that a renewable energy facility should be built at the Astoria site instead, as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to “wean” New Yorkers off of fossil fuels.

“We need to rethink the way we’re relying on fossil fuels and move into a renewable future,” he said, applauding new city initiatives that prioritize sustainable energy, like a multi-million-dollar shift towards electric vehicles, and deals to bring renewable energy to NYC.

Up until today, however, Richards — who proudly mentioned his former role as chair of the City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection during Wednesday’s press conference — was one of the few local elected officials who hadn’t voiced opposition to NRG’s proposal.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Carolyn Maloney, state Senators Jessica Ramos and Michael Gianaris, and Assembly Members Zohran Mamdani and Jessica González-Rojas, among others, have all spoken out against the project. Advocates hope that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s newly announced plan to invest in renewable energy signals that she too will soon oppose the plant.

When Patch reached out to the Borough President’s Office about why he didn’t publicly oppose the plant until now, the office did not provide comment.

Instead, the office pointed to Richards’ record on the environmental protection committee — where he introduced enterprising energy legislation and oversaw updates to the city’s air code and southeast Queens’ sewer systems — and noted that his announcement coincides with NYC Climate Week, an international summit focused on climate action.

Right after Richards’ announcement, Mayor de Blasio — who was speaking alongside him from Queens Borough Hall during the Queens-focused "City Hall in your Borough" initiative — restated his opposition to NRG's proposal.

“That Astoria plant is moving us backwards towards fossil fuels,” he said, instead emphasizing his administration’s investment in renewable energy and environmentally-focused legislation.

Wednesday’s press conference comes shortly after staff at the state's Department of Environmental Conservation, or NYSDEC, held a public comment period regarding NRG’s proposal — which advocates say mostly drew opposition on the basis that a gas-powered plant would worsen locals' health and climate change.

The energy company, by contrast, maintains that the project would reduce greenhouse gases, improve grid reliability, and boost the economy.

In the coming weeks, Gov. Hochul and the NYSDEC are expected to figure out next steps on NRG’s proposed project, which could include a final decision or a referral for a hearing, the agency said.