Dear 'Links,
Opposition to a Salem's politician's manipulation of the public process is outraging observers. In yesterday's Globe, Yvonne Abraham wrote:
"Put me down as one of those who find it utterly depressing that Salem is signing up for decades more of dirty power, that the city has decided it hasn't time or money to dream up a more creative way to develop the land, that we haven't moved faster on renewable energy.
"And put me down as appalled that one man seems willing to do almost anything to make this gas plant happen....[Rep] Keenan ..is trying an unseemly end run around the whole knotty issue ...[and] ...inserted an amendment into a very popular bill to control gas leaks that would shut down the legal challenges to Footprint. ...It's a blatant mockery of due process. And given that this is the first generating plant proposed since groundbreaking state climate change rules were unanimously approved in 2008, it sets one very lousy precedent."
"Footprint's attorneys are pushing hard for a swift court decision because speed, they believe, is essential for the project to stay viable financially. Fair enough. The company has a clear stake, and it is playing by the rules.
Keenan should do so, too, before the grime from his maneuvering soils his reputation - and the skies over Salem."
Read the whole article here:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/12/08/officials-playing-dirty-salem-plant/0QzUbziAudpq0SwzF1pu8L/story.html
In Friday's Salem Gazette, Bill Gover is also outraged by Rep. Keenan's "attempt to fast-track the power plant through the approval process" and said that the process requires a "transparent permitting review."
He adds: "Currently as the proposed gas conversion of our power plant is in the preliminary permitting process, a legislative act to enhance natural gas pipeline safety, H2933, is working its way through committee review at the State House. This act was intended to facilitate needed repairs to existing aging natural gas infrastructure throughout the Commonwealth.
"Unfortunately Salem's State Representative has authored an amendment to the bill that tacks on the permitting approval for the proposed power plant. Attaching the power plant approval to this bill will delay the infrastructure repairs while rushing through approvals for the power plant permitting based on speculation about the threat of possible future power shortfall."
Read the article: