STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In an apparent bow to outrage among his Staten Island constituents, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is withdrawing the former Fresh Kills landfill site from the city's plans to build a waste-to-energy plant.

"The Mayor listened to the concerns of Staten Island officials about Fresh Kills and decided to remove it as a possible location," said Marc LaVorgna, a spokesman for Bloomberg.

Officially, the city has amended its request for proposals (RFP) to build the waste-to-energy plant "by deleting any and all references to the City Provided Site or City Provided Site Option." The issue riled up Staten Islanders so much because the city only provided one site in the RFP: The former Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island. The original RFP language effectively meant the city wanted to build the waste-to-energy plant on Staten Island, even though it city leaders maintained that it could be built anywhere.

The RFP is issued through the city Sanitation Department. A copy of relevant portions of the amended RFP is below.

Momentum has been growing to block the plant since the moment the Advance first broke the story on March 5. Elected officials voiced their outrage, community groups united, and a massive rally was planned for Monday until a huge brush fire forced its cancellation.

On Tuesday, Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio, a Democrat, said the Bloomberg administration should not make Staten Island the "dumping ground" for the entire city. DeBlasio cited the borough's City Council delegation -- North Shore Councilwoman Debi Rose, the Mid-Island's James Oddo and the South Shore's Vincent Ignizio -- when he said Bloomberg should "back off" plans for the waste-to-energy plant.