Fumes are emitted from the Green Asphalt plant in Blissville. Photo courtesy of Thomas J. Mituzas.
June 17, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
A group of Queens and Brooklyn lawmakers is calling on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to temporarily suspend operations at Green Asphalt, an asphalt plant in Blissville, until the company addresses alleged air pollution affecting nearby neighborhoods.
Green Asphalt, located at 37-98 Railroad Ave., uses recycled asphalt to produce mixes marketed as more cost-effective and sustainable than traditional asphalt. The company has operated out of the industrial area near Newtown Creek since 2011.
However, residents in both Blissville and Greenpoint have long complained about persistent fumes and odors from the facility, which they say have created serious quality-of-life issues for more than a decade. The DEC cited Green Asphalt with a nuisance violation in January 2024, noting that emissions from the plant “unreasonably interfered with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property.”
Since the violation was issued, residents say conditions have worsened, with increased complaints of noxious odors and air quality issues on both sides of the Newtown Creek.
The LIC Post first reported the issue earlier this month, highlighting growing frustration from residents and renewed pressure from local officials. Lawmakers are urging the DEC to enforce a temporary shutdown until the plant adopts effective mitigation measures to address the environmental concerns.
Green Asphalt has stated that its use of recycled materials supports the city’s climate goals and provides cost savings for contractors working on infrastructure projects across the five boroughs.
A number of city, state and federal lawmakers in Queens and Brooklyn have now called on Green Asphalt to implement changes that would reduce pollution in the surrounding neighborhoods.
In a joint statement, U.S. Rep Nydia Velázquez, State Senators Kristen Gonzalez and Michael Gianaris, Assembly Members Emily Gallagher and Claire Valdez and Council Members Julie Won and Lincoln Restler have called on Green Asphalt to double the height of its existing smokestack in order to carry emissions from the plant further into the atmosphere and away from the surrounding area.
“Green Asphalt committed to increasing the height of the emissions stack and redirecting emissions away from our residential community by June, but they have failed to do so,” elected officials said in a joint statement.
“Emissions from Green Asphalt are impacting the health and safety of Greenpoint and Blissville residents alike. We demand Green Asphalt be a better neighbor.”
Elected officials also pointed to a letter sent by the DEC to Green Asphalt last week noting that the department has “regularly received numerous community complaints and inquiries” regarding odors emanating from the Green Asphalt plant. The DEC also noted that community members have raised concerns over potential health implications associated with emissions from the facility.
In the letter, the DEC ordered Green Asphalt to “immediately” double the height of the emissions stack as soon as the company received authorization from the Department of Buildings.
The DEC also ordered Green Asphalt to perform stack testing for air contaminants as soon as the emissions stack is increased.
Fumes emitting from the plant in May. Photo courtesy of Thomas J. Mituzas.
Elected officials said the DEC letter is welcome but added that they are pushing for the state body to take more aggressive action and shut Green Asphalt down until the company has increased the height of its emissions stack.
“While we appreciate the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Wednesday letter requiring the company to double the height of the emissions stack as soon as they have the necessary approval and not later than year’s end, we are pushing for DEC to take more aggressive action by requiring Green Asphalt shut down their operations until the modifications to the emission stack are completed,” elected officials said in a joint statement.
Local residents had raised numerous concerns about Green Asphalt prior to the recent joint statement.
Thomas J. Mituzas, a member of the Blissville Civic Association, said he was forced to temporarily move his 96-year-old aunt out of the area last summer over concerns for her health because the air was “choking us so badly.”
“We had the windows closed, and it was still choking us,” Mituzas said.
Warren Davis, president of the Blissville Civic Association, said air quality in the local area can be suffocating, stating that the level of contamination varies from day to day.
“First, you get the smell,” Davis said. “Then, it’s choking. At times it’s very heavy, but at other times it’s light.”
Others said the level of contamination depends on wind speed and direction, with pollution impacting Blissville residents on certain days and Greenpoint residents on others, depending on the wind.
Willis Elkins, executive director of the Newtown Creek Alliance, said the plan emits ” foul-smelling particulate matter” and that the issue has been “getting worse and worse” for many years.
“Anyone who experiences it has instant issues with it,” Elkins said. “It’s not a subtle issue. It’s a very strong odor and it smells like burning rubber.”
Carlos Castell Croke, chair of Community Board 2’s Environmental Committee, has also penned a letter to the DEC over the issue, stating that he has experienced the smell while cycling across the Kosciuszko Bridge.
“It’s definitely not pleasant,” Castell Croke said. “I imagine if you were living in it, that it could be really bad.”
Green Asphalt said in a statement earlier in June that it has been in compliance with the DEC’s air requirements since it was first permitted in 2017. The statement further added that the company is addressing any complaints related to the January 2024 violation.
“We have been working diligently to address any odor complaints. Green Asphalt’s goal is to remain in good standing with the community as we have over the last 14 years, and we continue to engage with local stakeholders in Greenpoint and Long Island City to resolve this as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.
Sources familiar with the matter said Green Asphalt is exploring ways to expand the height of the plant’s emissions stacks to carry emissions further into the atmosphere and avoid quality-of-life issues for the surrounding community. They said expanding the smokestacks is a “complex” and timely issue and not a quick fix.
Green Asphalt had hoped to have increased the height of the smokestacks within the first half of 2025, but sources conceded that this is now unlikely. They added that they are hopeful the expansion will take place “quite soon.”
Company sources also stated that Green Asphalt has a positive impact on the environment by using recycled asphalt and subsequently removing 2,600 trucks off New York roadways every year.
Castell Croke said the company’s use of recycled materials is “good for the environment” but noted that it has also violated state laws.
“I don’t necessarily want them to stop their operation,” Castell Croke said. “I think what they’re doing and creating – recycled asphalt and recycled material for construction – is generally a good thing, but the burden it’s having on the local neighborhood is unfair.”
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