News article on community park spring cleaning event, 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

KeySpan Expansion Considers Site’s Old Pollution Problems by E.E. Lippincott That facility closed in the early 1950s and coal tar, benzene, arse tic, benzol, pyrene. which can be found at thousands of for- Associate Eddof was replaced by mere modem energy-gen- phenol, polynuclear ; romatic hydrocar- met MGP plants across the nation, contin- Residents near the Ravenswood Power crating technology. uc to pose serious health risks to people bons ami volatile orgar ic compounds. Facility in L«»g Island City can expect to Manufactured gas plants were the earli- and foe environment. “The investigation did find residues see people walking around in Tyvek suits est method of large-scale energy genera- typically associated wi h former manufac- MGP technology faded from favor, and wearing gas masks as part of the tIon. It was achieved by turning coal or between World War I and World War 11, It tured gas plan* sites t n the Ravenswood plants recentty-begun expansion, coal mixed with oil into gas. which was property.” said a sti tement KeySpan was replaced by natural gas. coal (for The protective clothing will be requited then pumped into homes and businesses. released in December, when it announced burning) and petroleum products. of some cmployee.s because foe land has The process created enormous amounts Some of the many dangerous residues the beginning of Its expansion construc- been polluted by old industry, located of very hazardous waste. Its residues, tion. “The investigation also showed that commonly found al former MGP sites are there during the first half of the 20th ccn- . these . . residues were nor at a level or loca- • tury. But KeySpan Energy, which " vns the tion to pose a risk to si e employees or foe plant, assures locals that the community is surrounding communit es.” in nd danger. Only employees working directly with KeySpan’s expansion project will the contaminated soil luring construction increase the 2,160-mcgawatt facility % out­ will be wearing protective clothing and put by 12 percent, or 250 megawatts. The 0 respirators, the release said. . new generators will use combined-cycle ' V KeySpan is one of ft ur companies seek- technology, which runs partly on self-gen­ ing to build power । lants in Western '' r 'if erated steam heat. This method has very Queens. Unlike other । :ompanies, namely low emissions. , the New York Rawer / uthority, KeySpan The Ravenswood facility is best known has received high mart s from community for its three red Mid white-striped smoke­ activists for its outreacl efforts. stacks. The largest of foe three is known as - Because of (host efforts, which “Big Allis.” include the voluntai y environmental KeySpan undertook a voluntary inves- study and cleanup, loc al groups that for- . tigation of the property whert it pur­ . merty opposed the R;.venswood ex pan- chased it from Con Edison in 1999 as , sion were able to re tch compromises, part of statewide energy deregulation, with foe company. which divested Con Edison of many of its Ray Normandeau |r es in the Quecns- holdings. bridge Housing Project force blocks from The study, done with help front the New i Big Allis. He’s not won ied about KeySpan York State Department of Public Service, . ctMlawinaling his neigl borhood. evaluated soil and groundwater conditions , “It will look dramatic,” he said of the in foe area and found them to contain the ; workers in hazardous vaste suits. “But I pollutants regularly found at early 20th • think I’m far enough aw ay.** century industrial sites. Normandeau did not: that foe residents The Ravenswood property runs along closest to the facility i re tow-income and the East River on both sides of the Roo­ Maid not to be very ed cated. If there was sevelt island Bridge. It was first occupied . a problerh “they might >ot be very vocal.” for industrial purposes in 1898 by the •Tn 1999, KeySpan Energy bought Coo Edison’s Ravenswood Power Plant along the = Key Span says its expansion should be Ravenswood Manufoc^ed Gas Plant. compj€Meditwii.«)-.W0!!k Ij

NYC-WTC_000143040