On Tuesday evening, the Franklin Township Mayor and Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution opposing a plan to build a second gas-fired power plant in Woodbridge. 

Franklin is the fifth municipality to call on the Murphy administration to reject the proposal by Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) to build a new gas-fired power plant in Woodbridge. Similar resolutions have passed in Edison, Highland Park, Hoboken, and Perth Amboy.

CPV has proposed building a new 630-megawatt gas power plant in the Keasbey section of Woodbridge, a community already overburdened with pollution. If approved, this new facility – which would be adjacent to an existing CPV plant – would emit more than 2.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses each year, along with hundreds of tons of toxic air pollutants  – including carbon monoxide, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfuric acid, and lead

“I am proud that Franklin is now the fifth town that is supporting this resolution, and putting pressure on the DEP and Governor Murphy to reject this terrible project,” said Manijeh Saba, a Food & Water Watch volunteer and longtime Franklin resident. “We have the responsibility to provide a healthy environment to future generations, so we are demanding our leaders take action to stop fossil fuel projects like this.”

Next week, climate activists will be walking from Newark to Red Bank to raise awareness of fossil fuel projects that Governor Murphy must reject. On Wednesday (8/17) the “Walk Your Talk” climate caravan will stop at the Woodbridge Town Hall for a rally at 6:30 pm.