Sen. Gounardes Joins Sunset Park Residents, Elected Officials to Demand State Stop Big Tech-Backed Gas Plant Expansion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 12, 2026

View rally photos and videos here.

View letter from state legislators here.

Sunset Part, Brooklyn, NY – New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes joined neighbors, community activists, and fellow elected officials today to protest against the potential expansion of a dirty fracked gas plant expansion planned for Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Immediately following the rally, 30 New York State legislators sent a letter urging the Governor to reject any permits for the project. The plant, the lawmakers argue, is an environmental disaster that will drag New York backwards into reliance on old, dirty energy resources rather than the clean, new solutions the city needs, like solar and wind power. They note that Sunset Park is predominantly populated by communities of color whose homes would be sacrificed to fossil fuel pollution if the project is allowed to go forward.

The plant at the Gowanus Generating Station was set to be shut down in 2029 until AI mega-investors SoftBank and DigitalBridge acquired ArcLight Capital, which owns and operates the plant. These corporations are investing in expansions of dirty energy facilities to power AI data centers.

With its fracked gas and potential for more energy-guzzling data centers, the plant expansion could increase pollution and raise energy bills for working-class communities in the neighborhood and beyond. At the rally, attendees called on Governor Hochul to reject the potential expansion and ensure that neighborhoods like Sunset Park are not treated as sacrifice zones for Big Tech’s energy needs.

“Sunset Park is not a dumping ground for dangerous energy projects,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “Big Tech has the resources to invest in clean energy and help lower our utility costs, but instead, they’re doubling down on polluting a community that has already carried the burden of projects like this for decades. We demand investments that move us forward and we won’t stop fighting until we get them.”

“Our communities should not have to sacrifice their health, environment, or hard-earned money to fuel the profits of billion-dollar tech companies,” said Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes. “Sunset Park has already carried more than its fair share of environmental burdens, and we cannot allow Big Tech to use the AI boom as an excuse to expand dirty fossil fuel infrastructure and drive up utility bills. Governor Hochul must stand with working families, protect our neighborhoods, and reject this project. Our communities are not sacrifice zones.”

“Our homes are near the Gowanus Canal, which is already one of the most polluted waterways in the U.S.,” said Elsa Samaniego, a nearby resident and member of New York Communities for Change. “The fossil fuels emitted from this project will only make it worse. I shouldn’t have to risk my health and the health of my children because some AI company wants to put a giant gas plant right on top of us.”

In addition to the dangerous levels of pollution, the plant will increase utility bills for the residents nearby. “Our bills are already sky-high,” said Eric Weltman, a nearby resident and senior organizer at Food & Water Watch. “Why should we have to pay even more for a billion-dollar corporation that just wants to run new data centers and cause damage to our neighborhood with more dirty, expensive fracked gas?”

"As a Brooklyn parent, absolutely no part of my vision for my kids' future involves them huffing dirty air because we allowed data center developers to buy and fire up old fracked gas power plants right here in our city. Governor Hochul has a responsibility to stand up to Big Tech, sign the data center moratorium, and finally consign dirty power plants - like the one in Sunset Park - to the past where they belong,” said Ella Ryan of Climate Families NY.

Press Contact:

Billy Richling

Communications Director

State Senator Andrew Gounardes

billy@senatorgounardes.nyc

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