Neighbors Against

the Gas Plants

Clean air and clean land is nice for nicetown!

Photo by Eddie Einbender-Luks

SEPTA’s fracked gas burning power plant has been operating since early 2021.

The gas plant’s start up date was unannounced, but a neighbor reported seeing emissions coming from the stacks in February 2021. The plant adds 73 tons of toxic pollution, thousands of tons of CO2, and unmeasured amounts of heat and leaking methane gas to the air each year in Nicetown, SW Germantown, and lower E. Falls.

Electricity generated by the plant is sent to run regional trains that pass through Wayne Junction. PECO still provides 30% of the power to run the trains and is the back-up system.

SEPTA’s gas plant is located on SEPTA’s Robert’s Complex, between SEPTA’s Midvale Bus Depot at Roberts and Wissahickon Avenue and SEPTA’s Roberts Train Yard. It sits off of Roberts Avenue.

The City’s operating permit for SEPTA’s gas plant is up for renewal. Public comments ended August 31, 2023.

During the written public comment period in January, we requested a public hearing. Air Management Services did granted the request in July, and at the hearing, the Health Commissioner added a month for written comments. See Events/Updates

Some of our initial concerns:

We want the permit to be denied.
The EPA ECHO site reported two violations of pollution limits. Repairs were made on equipment in one of the two generators and workers were instructed that testing the diesel backup generator during ozone season is prohibited.
Neighbors deserve to know what is coming into the air and when it is happening, so that they can protect themselves by closing windows and not exercising outside. We are requesting continuous air monitoring units in the smoke stacks which operate 365 days/ year and to post the readings directly to the Health Department website in real time in a user friendly way for the general public.
The Health Department has no ambient air monitoring station in N. Philadelphia west of Broad St. It should set up a station to measure ground ozone, NOx, VOCs, Fine Particulates and HAPS within a few blocks of SEPTA’s Roberts Complex. The monitors should report daily to the Department website in real time and be easy for the public to access.
We want AMS to work with SEPTA to mitigate the nitrogen oxide, particulates, and carbon dioxide pollution to net zero, using thousands of trees planted on SEPTA’s property and on sidewalks surrounding it. Unfortunately trees cannot capture hazardous air pollutants. Even if the permit is denied, Roberts Complex produces air pollution especially diesel fumes from the Middle Bus Depot and from CXS trains at Roberts Yard.
The climate crisis is rapidly escalating. We want AMS to require and help SEPTA apply for federal grants to pay for solar panels on all of SEPTA’s rooftops on buildings at the Roberts Yard property, at Wayne Junction, and other properties. They should charge electric buses with solar power and transition other vehicles to electric.
SEPTA wants to increase emissions yet still receive a synthetic minor permit? The De Minimus Emissions Increase beginning on p. 19 of the permit must be removed.
During bad air days the plant should be turned off. During ozone season the plant should be turned down. The overall gas usage should not increase during the rest of the year beyond the current average monthly usage to make up for ozone season.

SEPTA presented 3 community benefits in their 2016 marketing slideshow. No benefits have materialized as of April 2023

HOLD SEPTA ACCOUNTABLE

In 2011, SEPTA released a comprehensive sustainability plan. However, the gas plant violates each section of their "three pillar" approach. Click to read their Energy Action Plans for 2011, 2012, and 2018. Also see details of SEPTA’s goals and 5 year business plans in SEP-TAINABLE 2020.

Below is the City Health Department’s official list of annual toxic emissions from SEPTA’s gas plant in Nicetown. One toxic emission amount that is not provided by the city is ammonia. Non-toxic greenhouse gases are not listed. We can expect some methane leakage and tons of carbon dioxide from the combustion process. We don’t know the amount of CO2 but roughly estimated it’s somewhere between 36,000 - 50,000 tons, (depending on who did the math.)