Supporters said the plant would create jobs; opponents said it would worsen air pollution. Watch video
View full sizeProtesters for and against a proposed biomass plant in Springfield stand in front of Duggan Middle School before the state public hearing on the project on Tuesday night.SPRINGFIELD – Nearly 500 people gathered at Duggan Middle School on Tuesday night, offering a mix of praise and scorn for a proposed wood burning plant in East Springfield during a hearing conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
While supporters said the biomass plant would create jobs and provide a safe and regulated means of converting wood to energy, opponents said the plant would worsen air pollution and harm public health. The hearing triggered a spattering of applause, cheers and boos after comments and sometimes during comments, pro and con.
The hearing was preceded by demonstrations, with supporters and opponents carrying signs for and against the estimated $150 million, 35-megawatt project at 1000 Page Boulevard, which is being proposed by Palmer Renewable Energy, and its chief executive officer, David J. Callahan.
“This project is dirty,” said Susan M. Reid, senior lawyer for the Conservation Law Foundation, in urging the state to reject the project. “You don’t need to choose between jobs and environment.”
“It’s a clean, green local energy project,” said Bud L. Williams, a Springfield resident and former city councilor.
Williams said he was proud to vote in favor of a local special permit for the project in 2008, when he was council president, and remains proud of his vote today.
The state will review the hearing comments, including submitted written statements, during the ongoing public comment period which ends Saturday. Thereafter, the state Department of Environmental Protection will consider plan approval.
Those attending the hearing included area residents, many union tradesmen, community activists, engineers, medical professionals, and elected officials.
Seventy-two people initially signed up to speak during the hearing, and were being held to a three-minute limit by the moderator.
Union workers from various trades lined Wilbraham Road in front of the school before the hearing, waving signs that touted the plant and the estimated 200 construction jobs and 50 permanent jobs that would be created.
Daniel D’Alma, president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades, said the project will be heavily regulated and safe. He said it is hypocritical that those at the hearing rely on the electricity but oppose the cleaner source offered by the East Springfield plant.
Many opponents said that Springfield has poor air quality and high rates of asthma among school children, some saying 20 percent of students suffer from asthma. The plant will worsen pollution and create additional health threats to children and adults, they said.
“Your regulations are not strong enough,” said Michaelann C. Bewsee, a representative of Stop Toxic Incineration in Springfield, in comments directed at state officials hearing the testimony. “We don’t deserve this.”
State Reps. Benjamin Swan and Sean Curran, both Springfield Democrats, and City Councilor Timothy C. Allen, were among the opponents, saying they were concerned about such a plant being within a city with significant air quality issues.
Supporters, including Palmer Renewable Energy’s engineers, said the project has state-of-the-art technology, and offers a far cleaner source of energy than fossil fuel plants.