Roosevelt Island's closest neighbor across the East River is the Ravenswood Keyspan Generating Station.

One among the five power plants in the area, this plant places Islanders very close to what environmentalists are calling "Asthma Alley" in northwestern Queens.  The Generating Station looms up right outside Islanders' windows.  Brown fumes rise above the plant.  Chemical odors waft across the river when the wind blows in this direction.  The facility's three red-and-white smokestacks spill out nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter that help make this area among the worst-polluted in New York State. Instead of being closed down, the 54-year old plant has just received approval to expand.  It will add a 250-megawatt plant to its existing facility already generates nearly 2,000 megawatts of electricity. Each megawatt produced is enough power to light 1,000 homes.

The City needs about 3,000 megawatts of additional power by 2005, according to business and labor groups.  More businesses, new homes and increased consumption in existing buildings has been driving up demand.  This, coupled with the fact that, by law, 80 percent of the electricity has to be generated within the City to maintain reliability, is the reason why KeySpan got the approval. "We will keep the grid running on peak demand days.  After all, we produce 28 percent of the electricity required by the City," said Jeffrey Smith, Plant Manager of the Ravenswood facility.

Expanding this site is economical for the company because transmission lines, the workforce and the gas lines are already in place.  KeySpan claims it can pass on its savings to customers.

Environmentalists and community groups are not impressed. Everyone agrees that more power is needed, but no one wants more plants in an area overloaded with more than its fair share.  Matthew Katz, President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association, told The WIRE, "I am extremely concerned that this strip is being burdened with so many power plants.  Simply because you already have transmission lines here does not mean you keep adding to the pollution by building more plants.  There are people living in this community who have to be factored in."

"We want KeySpan to clean up the older plant before putting in a new one," said Anthony Gigantello, President of the Coalition Helping Organize a Kleaner Environment (CHOKE), a watchdog group that is fighting on behalf of the residents of the Queens neighborhoods near the plant.

Keyspan counters these arguments by stating that older plants cannot be shut down unless new ones come into operation, or there would be a shortfall in supply during construction. It claims that the existing facility meets all State and Federal standards and that the new plant that will come into operation in 2003 will have 20 percent lower emission rates than the older one. "Eventually we will be able to retire the older polluting units because they are less efficient," said Chris Corrado, Manager of Air Quality Compliance at KeySpan.

National air-quality standards are set by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Primary standards are intended to protect public health, including the health of "sensitive" populations such as asthmatics, children and the elderly.  Secondary standards set limits to protect public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation and buildings.  Northwestern Queens has been proven to have poor air quality by these standards.

KeySpan argues that its power plant is not the only factor contributing to the pollution, saying that increased traffic and older manufacturing units in this historically-industrial area cause pollution, too.  "We spent $9 million in the past one year to reduce the nitrogen oxide emissions.  We invested $40,000 to reduce the odors from the plant.  We changed the schedule of the oil-barge deliveries to reduce noise pollution.  We are striving hard to work with the community and address its concerns," said Corrado.

Not everyone sees the company as acting with the community's best interests in mind. Deirdre Breslin, an Island resident and Community Board 8 member who attended a recent public hearing, pointed out that the location, PS 112, was not easily accessible by public transportation. "The company spokesperson kept calling this an industrial neighborhood even though we are a residential area. I told them they should cross the Roosevelt Island bridge and feel for themselves the vibrations caused by their plant and they said they would," said Breslin. "I think it is a disgrace that New York State is allowing this to happen."

CHOKE can be contacted at 718-274-4767 or by e-mail at chokequeens@aol.com.  On the Island, contact Deirdre Breslin at 753-3524.