Environmental Activists Cheer Decision Not To Build Chemical Plant In Pearl River
PEARL RIVER, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Following a lengthy battle, environmentalists are celebrating that a chemical plant will not be built in the middle of a residential area of Rockland County.
As WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported, biochemical company Anellotech will not build its testing plant next to its headquarters on the old Pfizer campus in Pearl River.
Instead the company will build the plant in Texas, where construction is less expensive. The CEO said five bids in Rockland were simply too high.
Attorney Brian Condon, with the activist group Stop Anellotech, celebrated the decision.
"The threat of what could have went wrong and what could have happened, what they were looking to put in the air was deeply disturbing," he said.
The pilot plant was to produce a mix of chemicals, including Benzene from non-food organic waste instead of fossil fuels.
Anellotech insisted it would be safe and pointed to positive environmental reviews.
But residents feared the possibility of toxic emissions. They organized and lobbied hard, Adams reported.
Meanwhile business advocates said the plant's move to Texas is a loss for the local economy.
