On Monday night, the Beacon City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the massive expansion proposed for the Danskammer gas-fired power plant on the Hudson River. Beacon is now the seventh municipality to pass a resolution opposing the project.

Over 80 local residents and environmentalists rallied in front of City Hall before the meeting. They called on Governor Cuomo to reject the project, which would increase the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbate local air pollution, and deepen fossil fuel dependence for decades to come.

The $400 million plan involves building a new gas-fired power plant that would run year-round adjacent to the existing peaker plant in Newburgh. The new plant, opponents believe, would present serious dangers to public health and the environment.

“Thank you to our neighbors across the river, said Tamsin Hollo of Newburgh Clean Water Project. “The City of Newburgh is facing a water crisis due to the cumulative impacts of PCBs in the Hudson, the lead in our paint and pipes and the PFOS polluting our soil and drinking water. Environmental Justice communities like Newburgh and Beacon can’t afford more attacks to our water and the additional 40 million pounds of pollution that would be generated annually by this proposed fracked gas plant are simply too much to bear.

“The Danskammer fracked gas power plant would threaten nearby communities while locking NYS into decades of fossil fuel dependence. If expanded, the Danskammer Power Plant would be a step backwards in the fight against climate change. Other communities must follow Beacon’s resolve to fight climate change and say no to this expansion,” said Jana Bergere of New York Public Interest Research Group.