ALBANY – A group of Glenmont residents that claim approvals for a proposed $600 million wind turbine tower factory on the Hudson River were done without adequate public input and review have filed a third lawsuit against the town of Bethlehem and Port of Albany seeking to block the project.
The legal fight focuses on Beacon Island, an 81-acre former landfill owned by the port in Bethlehem that sits along the Hudson River, just south of the port’s operations in the city of Albany.
Since last summer, a group of Glenmont residents who live near the site have been waging a legal battle to try and reverse planning and zoning approvals that paved the way for pre-construction site work at the site off River Road.
The group, led by attorney Chris Dempf, alleged in its original lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in Albany that the town did not properly notify residents living around the Beacon Island site before the town planning and zoning boards began considering the project, which is expected to employ 500 people and is supported by Gov. Kathy Hochul and other powerful political leaders, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer.
The new lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month, is what is known as an Article 78 proceeding that seeks to have a judge reverse the town of Bethlehem’s approvals of the project.
It alleges that the town and other government agencies involved in issuing permits did not properly coordinate how to deal with 2 million tons of coal fly ash located at the site.
Coal ash, a byproduct of coal power plants, is considered toxic although it is often recycled into construction and road paving materials. The site is located near a coal power plant that dumped its coal ash on the site decades ago.
The suit notes that Beacon Island sits near wells that supply water to the residents of Bethlehem and the…
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