Lawmakers from the town of Huntington want more oversight of potentially hazardous chemicals at the Northport Power Plant on Long Island.
New York State Senator Jim Gaughran is concerned that the cause of several health issues in his district are connected to activity at the power plant.
A 2019 state report found high levels of ozone emissions at the power plant. Meanwhile, the local middle school nearby was closed because of toxins, and a group of students who graduated in 2016 have been diagnosed with leukemia.
Altogether, Gaughran says, “It’s an alarming situation.”
“I want to make sure that the Department of Environmental Conservation of the state, that they continue to do all they can, and get even more aggressive, in making sure that they are monitoring this plant.”
National Grid owns and operates the Northport Power Plant. The company issued the following statement:
National Grid believes that there is no connection between the Power Plant operations and the issue at the Northport Middle School. National Grid operates the Northport Power Station in compliance with Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permits that regulate all aspects of the Power Station’s activities. National Grid is required to report air emissions to the Federal and State regulatory agencies and consistently files on both a quarterly and annual basis. VOC emissions are reported annually to the NYSDEC. National Grid is unaware of any current regulatory citations from the State. The Senator is reading the report incorrectly. The NY Metropolitan Control Area (Northern NJ, NYC, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester and Fairfield County, CT) is in non-attainment with the ozone national ambient air quality standard. All facilities located in these regions would have the same reference on their Title V permit. This is not specific to the Northport Plant.
