[WestMALocals] Re: [statecom-discuss] Fw: [AriseAction] New Power Plant Just Outside Northampton??

[Adam Sacks]

Hi All --

New Hampshire is currently facing the invasion of 10 biomass
incinerators (they will burn construction and demolition debris and
generate some power).  But the underlying issue is not about power
plants or incinerators -- it is about the right of people decide what
happens in their communities vs. the right of corporations to do to us
whatever they please.  When we fight these assaults on the basis of
regulating power plants, we spend a lot of time and energy and we
almost always lose. On the other hand, when we fight on the basis of
our fundamental right to decide in a democracy, we stand a good chance
of turning around the corporate takeover of our lives.  

This approach is called rights-based organizing, and has been going on
for the past seven years in Pennsylvania where communities have
successfully kept out factory hog farms and toxic sewage sludge, and
challenged the hegemonic power structure in the process.  It's time to
get the ball rolling in Massachusetts.

For more information, go to our website:

  http://www.constitution411.org

We hold weekend Democracy Schools, which teach the basics of
rights-based organizing - next scheduled one in Massachusetts is
October 21-23, but if there is an interested community group we can
make arrangements sooner.  I am also available to speak at meetings and
events if people want to know more.

Cheers!

Adam

=========

Adam Sacks, Director
Center for Democracy
  and the Constitution
12 Locust Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781 674-2339


--- Owen Broadhurst <thersites at unforgettable.com> wrote:

> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: jajm4 <jajm4 at earthlink.net>
> To: jajm4 <jajm4 at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [AriseAction] New Power Plant Just Outside Northampton??
> Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 11:14:07 -0400
> 
> > 
> > A new power plant is proposed to be built here in the valley. The
> following
> > information describes the proposed plant, and a public meeting
> being held to
> > allow for public comment.
> > 
> > --------------
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Wood Burning Biomass Power Plant
> > 
> > Coming Soon Near You?
> > 
> > Did you know that...
> > 
> > The proposed plant would be located in Russell (½ hour from
> Northampton) and
> > be vented through a 300 foot smoke stack over the Pioneer Valley.
> > 
> > This is being planned by 5 mostly out of state owners (Makes you
> wonder- if
> > it's such a great idea- why don't they put it in their own
> communities?)
> > 
> > It would burn 1 million cords of wood a year.
> > 
> > The burning would be non-stop, 24 hours a day- all year round.
> > 
> > Much of the so-called "wastes" it would burn are leaves or logging
> remains
> > that otherwise would naturally compost and put nutrients back into
> the soil.
> > 
> > Other "wastes" it would destroy are live trees unsuitable for
> logging. These
> > trees would otherwise be left growing in the forest.
> > 
> > They call this total destruction fo the forests "improving the
> health of the
> > forest"!
> > 
> > There is no planned closing of any coal or oil fired plants, so the
> biomass
> > would be in addition to other existing polluting plants- increasing
> overall
> > emissions.
> > 
> > It would dump as much carbon into the atmosphere yearly as would
> otherwise
> > naturally break down in hundreds of years (increasing global
> warming).
> > 
> > Wood smoke contains over 100 chemicals- some like Benzo(a)pyrene
> cause
> > cancer. Many of us heat with wood already. Is adding the emissions
> from a
> > million more cords of wood to the air healthy?
> > 
> > Trees naturally clean the air, removing carbon dioxide and giving
> back
> > oxygen. Destroying millions of trees without replenishing them will
> lead to
> > a dangerous carbon dioxide increase and a harmful reduction of
> oxygen in the
> > air we breathe.
> > 
> > People in Russell would save in taxes $100 - $150 per person, per
> year but
> > they will lose hundreds of times this as their home resale values
> drop
> > ($25,000, $50,000 or more per house).
> > 
> > The Westfield river water would be used for cooling the plant. What
> effect
> > would this have on the amount of bacteria, pesticides, and wastes
> in the
> > river water? What effect on the fish, plants, forests, and people
> down
> > stream?
> > 
> > The biomass factory would require 60 trucks per day (each hauling
> 5,000 lbs.
> > of wood from MA, NY, RI, CT, VT, ME). That means that a big
> commercial truck
> > would drive down Main Street in Russell every 8 minutes. This is a
> much
> > higher level of noise and fumes than most people want to live with
> in their
> > homes.
> > 
> > Residents of Stratton, VT (where there is an existing biomass pant)
> said
> > that there is nowhere in town you can get away from the noise.
> > 
> > The E.P.A. has said that they would not approve this amount of
> truck traffic
> > near the wetlands of the river, yet the children and townspeople
> who live
> > along this route will be breathing these harmful levels of diesel
> every day.
> > 
> > This truck exhaust and that from chipping a million cords of wood
> are not
> > even included in their environmental impact figures.
> > 
> > Since biomass would burning has a very low efficiency (in some
> cases as low
> > as 20%) this high gas and oil use would waste equal to a large
> percentage of
> > the energy the plant would produce. In a world with dwindling
> petroleum
> > reserves, building a plant with this dependence on petroleum is
> foolish and
> > irresponsible.
> > 
> > No effort has been made to plan a truly green business for this
> site. A wind
> > plant would be ideally suited, have non toxic output and only
> benefit and
> > profit the town instead.
> > 
> > The company planning this has made errors in the "facts" they
> publish. For
> > example, they reported higher percentages of people surveyed in
> favor of the
> > plant than actually exist. This is a 4th grade math error! (Does
> this give
> > you a lot of confidence in their figures for the safety of the
> plant and for
> > the level of emissions and their effects on your health?)
> > 
> > The town board members have pointed out that they cannot legally
> approve the
> > plant if there are health hazards. Only 20 minutes total were
> allocated to
> > public questions at the first hearing. More time will be available
> for
> > public input at the next meeting, yet time is running out before
> the
> > decision deadline in July.
> > 
> > *********************************************
> > 
> > The next meeting/hearing, open to everyone, will be held at Russell
> > Elementary School, Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. Please come voice
> your
> > questions and concerns. This is a decision that will have a
> significant
> > affect on the environment in our valley for the rest of our lives.
> > 
> > Directions from Northampton (about a half hour drive):
> > 
> > Take route 66 (West St.) until it ends at route 112 (approximately
> 11-12
> > miles).
> > 
> > Go left (south) on 112 until it crosses the Westfield river and
> ends at
> > route 20 (approx. 3-4 miles),
> > 
> > Go left (east) on route 20 until you come to the outskirts of
> Russell
> > (approx 3 miles, maybe less).
> > 
> > Go left on Highland St (If you pass Main St. you have missed it).
> > 
> > The school is at the end of Highland St, the meeting is in the gym,
> which is
> > on the right through separate doors.
> 
> -- 
> ___________________________________________________________
> Sign-up for Ads Free at Mail.com
> http://promo.mail.com/adsfreejump.htm
> 
> _______________________________________________
> statecom-discuss mailing list
> statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org
> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/statecom-discuss
>