In a previous entry, we highlighted the text from the Fairness Coalition' handout "10 reasons to vote NO on the USTA expansion."  Number 2 was the following: 

• Power Plant in the Park?
  
• The plan calls for building a dirty diesel fuel power plant to be built inside the park. Hidden inside the most recent DEIS report, the USTA seeks to build a 8 Megawatt, 20 foot high diesel-fueled power plant. Surrounding communities already suffer from air quality and asthma rates at epidemic levels. This power plant will emit a massive amount of air pollution into the park and surrounding communities. (page 11-17 DEIS Jan 2013)
  

Let's take a closer look at what the DEIS says about this:

• CENTRAL CHILLER PLANT 
  
• To meet electrical power needs during peak demand conditions, the proposed project may include additional reciprocating engines that would serve a central chiller plant. Due to insufficient natural gas availability, it is assumed that the engines would use diesel fuel. The plant would have a maximum capacity of up to 8 megawatts and would be operated only during the US Open.
  
• The plant would be located to north of the project site—north of Meridian Road, east of Arthur Ashe Stadium (Stadium 1), and west of Louis Armstrong Stadium (Stadium 2). This would be approximately 350 feet from areas that would be accessible to the public.

One megawatt can power 1,000 homes for a year.  So about 8,000 homes could be powered by this chiller plant.  Why would a stadium need this kind of power?  And they will house it in a 2-3 story building.  Does Flushing Meadows need more non-park-related buildings?

On June 20, 2012, NYC Parks, as lead agency for the CEQR environmental review for the USTA NTC Strategic Vision Project, issued a Positive Declaration for the project and directed that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) be prepared. At the same time, a Draft Scope of Work for an EIS was issued for public comment. A public scoping meeting was held on July 23, 2012 at the NTC Indoor Training Center at David Dinkins Circle, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, to accept oral and written comments. Written comments on the proposed project’s Scope of Work were accepted through August 8, 2012. The Final Scope of Work for this project’s EIS, including a summary of comments received and responses to those comments, was issued on December 27, 2012.

The DEIS is available for public inspection at the following locations: 

• NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, The Arsenal in Central Park and the Al Oerter Recreation Center in Queens
• USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Indoor Tennis Center
• Queens Public Library at the branches in Corona, Jackson Heights, Langston Hughes, Lefrak City, Forest Hills, Flushing, Kew Gardens Hills and Richmond Hill

It can also be obtained on-line at the link below. A public hearing on the DEIS will be held in conjunction with the City Planning Commission’s public hearing pursuant to the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). This hearing has not yet been scheduled; therefore, subsequent notice will be given as to the time and place of the public hearing and the close of the public comment period. Written comments on the DEIS should be forwarded to the contact address below, and will be accepted by the NYCDPR until the 10th calendar day following the close of the public hearing.

Contact person: Joshua Laird, Assistant Commissioner for Planning and Parklands, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, The Arsenal, Central Park, 830 Fifth Avenue, Room 401, New York, New York 10065, Telephone: 212-360-3402, Fax: 212-360-3453, and email Joshua.Laird@parks.nyc.gov.

National Tennis Center Strategic Vision Project Environmental Impact Statement