To the delight of Ironbound activists, close to two years after first proposing plans to build a sewage-handling facility in Newark, the developer has decided to not go forward with the project, city officials confirmed Tuesday.
Tennessee-based Aries Clean Technologies last week withdrew its application to rezone property at 400 Doremus Avenue in the industrial part of the city for the facility following criticism from local activists.
If it had been approved by the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment, the facility would have processed as many as 430 tons of wastewater-treated “biosolids” daily, according to the company’s application.
Aries Clean Technologies initially said the facility would take in treated waste from sewage plants and process the material into a substance known as “biochar,” which can be used to make concrete. The plan led to significant backlash among nearby residents and activists, led by the Ironbound Community Corporation, who were concerned the facility would bring more truck traffic and air pollution to the area.
The Ironbound Community Corporation argued the Aries plant should have been classified as a sludge processing facility, which is explicitly prohibited under Newark’s zoning rules. However, Aries maintained it planned to import “biosolids,” which are derived from sludge, and the company contended that the distinction meant the plan fit city rules.
A spokesperson from Aries Clean Technologies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Newark Zoning Board Officer Susan Brown determined last year that Aries was not a sludge facility but after an appeal from Ironbound Community Corporation activists and following various delays, the city’s zoning board was set to discuss the matter Thursday night.
“Honestly this felt surreal because we were prepared for a fight going into that zoning board meeting. So, to hear they were withdrawing the application outright was pretty amazing,” Maria Lopez-Nuñez, deputy director for organizing and advocacy at Ironbound Community Corporation, told NJ Advance Media.
A Newark spokeswoman said after Aries informed the city’s zoning board of its plans, no additional steps are required for the company to withdraw from the proposal.
“I want to thank the community organizations, environmental organizations, and residents who waged a strong and effective campaign, and held Aries and all of us accountable,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement. “This was an important fight for the community and their voices were heard.”
Lopez-Nuñez said it was additionally critical to note where the victory by New Jersey environmental advocates had taken place.
“It’s important to never forget that the Ironbound is disproportionately burdened by pollution,” said Lopez-Nuñez, while discussing the state’s largest wastewater treatment facility and garbage incinerator both located in Newark. “I can go on and on. After passing the (Environmental Justice) Law, there was an acknowledgment by lawmakers that we had to stop this legacy of environmental racism in the state of New Jersey.”
When the state Legislature passed the environmental justice law in September 2020, it gave the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection the authority to deny or condition erecting facilities like the Aries biochar plant in municipalities considered “overburdened,” a legal status that Newark meets.
Aries Clean Technologies continues to run a facility in Linden. Earlier this year, Kearny’s zoning board denied an application for the company to build another biosolids facility near the Passaic River after officials deemed the project a sludge processing facility, which is restricted there.
Matt Smith, New Jersey state director for non-profit Food and Water Action, said advocates in Newark and statewide continue to also fight against another local project: the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) gas power plant.
“The PVSC power plant proposal is an ongoing struggle and a critical litmus test for the Murphy administration’s resolve to combat environmental racism and phase out climate destroying fossil fuels,” Smith said, months after his organization protested against the project and others like it.
Reporting by former NJ Advance Media staff writer Michael Sol Warren was used in this report.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Steven Rodas may be reached at srodas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @stevenrodasnj.
Ad Choices