In yesterday's Salem News, Rep. Ehrlich explains the gas fired power plant is not needed:
Rep. Ehrlich says the projected energy "gap" in this area is less than 200 megawatts, "which can be met through transmission upgrades and energy efficiencies...
"They don't need a 700-megawatt power plant," she said. "That plant was down for seven months (several years ago) and at one point will be down for two years, and the lights will stay on."
Gas Plant Fact Sheet
Myth: The plant is needed for energy reliability.
Fact: Any shortfall will be 167 MW which could/should be met with transmission upgrades and/or through the use of already-built power generation facilities instead of building a 670MW plant which will chug on for 40+ years.
Myth: This plant will be clean and quiet - a good neighbor.
Fact: This plant will dump numerous pollutants into the air, including 104 tons of PM2.5, known as fine particulate. The EPA says there is no amount of PM2.5 that is safe for our health while approximately 1 in 3 people experience PM2.5 health related effects.
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/particlepollution/health.html
There will be low level noise.
Myth: Gas is needed to transition to carbon-free renewable energy.
Fact: MA is ahead of the rest of the country with 67% of its energy supply coming from gas already.
Myth: Footprint is the largest tax-payer in Salem.
Fact: The State of MA is the largest tax-payer - paying Salem $3 million in taxes for the next 3 years.
Myth: A gas plant on the site of the shuttered coal plant is the only way to go.
Fact: 65 acres of one of MA's deep-water ports has many other better development opportunities including light manufacturing and maritime industries.
Myth: Building a gas plant is the only way to get the old plant removed and the site cleaned up.
Fact: The MA DEP has the legal authority now to require the plant to be removed and the site to be cleaned up while Footprint, through various guarantees, already has the funding to do the cleanup.
Myth: This plant is a done deal.
Fact: The permitting process which protects and involves the public has not been completed. Good government and law demand that the public become informed and participate. Private developers must follow the legal processes and not circumvent them. Just for comparison, it has taken 10 years for Cape Wind to obtain its legal permits. This plant is certainly complicated - with long timeframe in existence, requiring a new network of land- and water-based pipelines compounded with the negative impacts of the fracking of gas to supply it.
