The Hughes project would have enormous impact on the entire region’s ecosystem, quality of life and local economies, including the four areas currently identified by the DEC:

Air and noise pollution

Large diesel trucks would be transporting unregulated municipal solid waste into the facility from a 50-mile regional radius between 7am-4pm 6 days per week.

Risk of water pollution

Both directly from the facility and from the industrial waste water produced at the facility which is planned to be discharged into the Schoharie Creek via the Prattsville sewer system

Diesel Truck Traffic

This project impacts many local communities: Roxbury, Prattsville, Margaretville, Andes, Bovina, Grand Gorge, Stamford, Woodstock, Phoenicia, Big Indian, Windham, and more with diesel trucks traveling on Routes 23, 30, 28, 42.

Odor pollution from garbage

Unregulated trash would be sorted on site, exposing communities to significant odors from garbage stored on the site.

Exposure to PFAS

These “forever chemicals,” are extremely toxic substances common in municipal solid waste. PFAS could easily contaminate the air, soil and the Schoharie Reservoir and Creek.

Threats to wildlife

The site includes sensitive bald eagle habitat, wetlands and a local trout stream.

Unproven Technology

The proposed Autoclave technology is experimental and has been rejected by several communities in the U.S. and failed in many European locations.

Vehicle Accidents

Constant traffic from 18-wheeler trucks traveling single lane rural roads increases risks of traffic accidents.

Site Misrepresentation

The location of the proposed facility is not being clearly communicated. In public meetings, Hughes Energy has represented the location of their proposed facility as the site of the current Green-Del facility. However, in permit application materials submitted to DEC, the site is represented as a parcel next to the location of the current Green-Del facility, not the same location.

Size and Scale

At 115,000 sq ft (2x the size of a football field) and 7 stories high, (the equivalent of 2 utility poles), it is completely out of sync with the rural area.

Greenwashing

Biofuel pellets produced by this process cannot be called a renewable energy solution given the amount of fossil fuel required for the trucking and autoclave steam process.

Jobs

The vast majority of the jobs for the facility would be temporary construction jobs, with a much smaller number of permanent jobs for specialized engineers and laborers.

Taxes

Hughes plans to apply for a PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) exemption, that may make such benefits negligible.

Voices of community members opposed to this project.

“This is my hometown. I work in the trash industry and know the effects of all the truck traffic. The smell, the small pieces of garbage that can come from the tractor trailers and other vehicles. Please don't let this happen in this small community.”

— Michael C., Shippensburg, PA

“I live in New Kingston and this proposal will damage this protected land and our community. We need to protect the reservoir, wildlife and nature in the Catskills. Our small communities and towns are not equipped to deal with the huge impact of building and running a facility like this.”

— Guadalupe G., New Kingston, NY

“The only responsible way to deal with garbage is within a Zero Waste framework... Dirty, energy intensive projects will only trash our communities, air, water, and climate. We need to do the right thing and stop trash at its source, rather than falling for magical schemes.”

— Tracy F., Greenwich, NY

“We cannot have this in our neighborhood! Our roads cannot handle the amount of the trucks. The impact to wildlife and our waterways would be catastrophic.”

— Sharon B., Roxbury, NY

“I can’t imagine this type of facility in a rural, residential area. The Rockland proposal failed because of the trucking through residential areas and the impact it would have on the local roads and environment. The same applies here and this facility needs to be placed in an area that can support it; an industrial park!”

— Paula H., New City, NY

“This is not the place for such an operation. Too remote with a heavy impact on wetlands and an increase in heavy truck traffic utilizing an arm of the trucking industry (solid waste hauling) notorious for such strenuous driver demands that public safety becomes an issue.”

— Kevin W. , Windham, NY

“This area is wonderful, it’s wonderful without any big factories or any huge trucks zooming by. Every con about this project heavily outweighs the pros.”

— Rowan K. (student), Grand Gorge, NY