A Community Assessment of Health Impacts from the Pittsfield Generating Facility on Local Communities

This report assesses the community health impacts of a fossil fuel peaker power plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Built in 1990, the oil and gas-powered Pittsfield Generating Facility runs only during times of peak electricity demand, producing some of the most expensive and polluting energy on the grid. As the facility ages, its rate of pollution increases.  

On average, residents living downstream from the Pittsfield Generating Facility live a shocking 10 to 12 years less than residents living elsewhere in the city. The power plant sits near bodies of water and various parks and schools; one elementary school shares a property line with the plant. Pittsfield residents face a higher risk of exposure to local pollutants and subsequent negative health impacts, like asthma and heart attacks, due to their proximity to the power plant, resulting in higher rates of pollution-related adverse health outcomes than those living elsewhere in Berkshire County.  

Pittsfield residents are 18 percent Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), compared to 12 percent of the surrounding Berkshire County, and 22.2 percent live below the federal poverty line, versus 15.6 percent of Massachusetts as a whole. These findings align with a nationwide trend of peaker power plants disproportionately harming low-income and BIPOC communities.   

The report emphasizes that replacing the Pittsfield Generating Facility with clean energy resources, such as solar panels paired with battery storage, is imperative for the health of Pittsfield residents. This would decrease pollution-related health risks in the Pittsfield community while also helping Massachusetts achieve its decarbonization goals. 

This report was prepared by Applied Economics Clinic on behalf of the Massachusetts Clean Peak Coalition, whose member organizations include the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Slingshot, Clean Energy Group, and the Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN). The Massachusetts Clean Peak Coalition seeks to replace all polluting peaker power plants in Massachusetts with 100% clean and renewable energy technologies by partnering with impacted communities and community-based organizations.