Local activists log a victory in Newark’s Ironbound
Nearly two years after plans were announced for a controversial sewage-handling facility to be built in Newark, the developer announced last week that it was abandoning the project.
Representatives for Aries Clean Technologies informed the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment that the company would withdraw its application to rezone the property at 400 Doremus Avenue, in the industrial section of the Ironbound neighborhood. Thursday’s announcement was welcomed by local environmental and community advocates, who had panned the plan as a potent new pollution source.
‘I’m proud of all our neighbors who stood up against this plant. I believe we’ve reached a turning point.’ — Cynthia Mellon, Newark Environmental Commission
“For decades, Newark’s Ironbound district has been the epicenter of air pollution in northern New Jersey, with numerous plants releasing toxic, health-harming, emissions — sometimes around the clock,” said Cynthia Mellon, the co-chair of the Newark Environmental Commission. “The sludge-burning plant recently proposed for Newark is yet another example of profiting from pollution-dumping. I’m proud of all our neighbors who stood up against this plant. I believe we’ve reached a turning point.”
The official withdrawal paperwork is expected to be filed with City Hall this week. The withdrawal is expected to be made with prejudice, which means the application cannot be refiled later. “Aries Clean Technologies evaluated the current cost of construction and operating at this location and determined it was no longer a viable option to proceed with,” Ron Hudson, the company’s environmental and permitting director, said in a statement to NJ Spotlight News.
Aries had intended to build a facility on the property, which would take in treated sewage, essentially bake it at extremely high temperatures, and create a product known as biosolids which could then be used in concrete.
