Should the town support the power plant if the revenue could save jobs and help the town avoid layoffs? (Poll Closed)

Living down the road from a power plant will mean I have to tell a potential buyer about the plant if I sell my house. This reduces the value of the house.

The constant pattern of promising information and then not delivering it makes me worry about what DG will actually do. If the promises are not the truth, why should we believe anything else they say?

No town needs revenue badly enough to sell out its residents. It won't make this a place people want to live. Why not aggressively work against it and attract like-minded people? Be progressive - not host a dinosaur.

$1.5 million won't even scratch the surface of the problems in Billerica. It's just not that much money.

In addition to revenue there would be direct costs to the town from the power plant, including to the waste water treatment infrastructure and monitoring. Over time as a power plant deteriorates, they would probably reduce the revenue to the town. Heath is wealth, we do not need more air pollution in an already densely populated area.

No way is this power plant worth it. Most towns fight tooth and nail to keep these things out. I think we need to fight to get rid of the town officials who are so short -sighted and so eager to get this thing here that they didn't even bother to become interveners in the EFSB permit hearings.

They didn't even care enough to make sure the town would have a voice in setting conditions at the state level. They are afraid to do anything that would inconveience these developers in the slightest. There is something very wrong with this whole picture.

Billerica taxpayers are now already paying an addirional 3 million dollars for the upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant -in order to accommodate the needs of the power plant. We don't even have the wasterwater capacity to provide sewer for the residents of the town - and we should let them send 20-30,000 gallons a day through? And further add to the pollutant load that we are already out-of compliance with again? WE'll get to pay more fines!! Will we have to lay off a couple of teachers to pay for that?

And we don't have enough water to give them. Now all of a sudden they are saying they'll use our wastwater instead of the municipal water supply. One little problem though - it's still not of good enough quality yet! It may be good enough in a few years when the 12 million dollar upgrade is done - ( or maybe it won't) They won't be able to tell until they actually sample it.

Until then they 'll need 40-60 million gallons of water per year. Well by 2011 we will exeed our permit level for withdrawal. Maybe they'll increase our permit to get more water from the Concord River (not guarenteed) or maybe we'll have to tie into the MWRA. Then we will be paying out more money in our water bills than this plant is worth .

And what about liability for potentially polluting the water that goes downstream to Tewksbury's water supply? REMEMBER THE PERCHLORATE ISSUE A FEW YEARS AGO???

What about all the wetlands that will be destroyed (yes cutting down to the stump is destroying them) so they will no longer be able to absorb and neutralize all the pollution that is in that area next to the Concord River.

And the added pollutants evaporating into the air we breath is not worth it at all!!! Just look up the effects of power plant pollution ...especially PM10 and PM 2.5 at the American Lung Association website.

What about the four pages of recommendations that the "Harvard experts" told the town to ask for in their final report? Wonder why we don't hear the town officials touting their report anymore?

To the south at the Concord River in Carlise and Bedford there is a Wildlife refuge...and at the northern end before it meets the Merrimack River in Lowell they are buliding a Concord River Greenway - with an art/park and recreation area along the river. What are we going to have in Billerica in the middle? A STINKING POWER PLANT???? Not the best use of a beautiful river - which also happens to be the sole source water supply fpr the town.

A few weeks ago the town manager told me the monetery "benefit" from this power plant would be like a drop in the bucket towards the town budget. Why has he now come out saying the town is in such desperate need for these funds now???

Could it be pressure from the majority of the current board of selectmen ...which is soon to have a major shake-up after the election....and their corrupt majority will no longer be in control and able to push this short-sighted abysmal projet and all the other crap development they can persuade to come here.

My vote is no no no!!!

Gee wonder why the town officials didn't let the people in town have any vote on the project

Think long term effects instead of short term payoffs. In the long run, the reduced property values and increase in polution is not worth it. The elected officials who vote "yes" on this project will not recive a re-elect vote from me.

The power plant is a valid project for Billerica. The emotional, vocal reaction we hear completely contradicts the scientific data and views we have heard from the world-class experts the Town hired (and for whose services we required the developer to pay). It is worthwhile to stop to think that this project has been on the horizon for some years, and is not just a stopgap measure foisted upon us to save union jobs!

As to the ongoing comments that other towns "fight tooth and nail" to keep such projects out of their cities and towns, nothing could be further from the truth. Just ask the administration of the city of Lowell and the town of Tewksbury how eagerly they are watching this issue in Billerica so they can jump at the oportunity to step in if possible! I know there are people who support NOT having such facilities in Tewsbury/Lowell, but they are tiny minorities.

Just the facts, just the facts, people...

For Kathleen - from the EH&E final Report - page 25, simulataneous operation of the 15 facilities other than the BEC cosindered during the interactive source modeling did result in the 24-hour concentration of PM 2.5 above the NAAQS independent of contributions from the BEC. Page 44 - Maximum increases in health outcomes are predicted for minor restricted activity days, with approximately seven additional incident per year; and for asthma exacerbation, 3.2 incidents per year. Recommendations, page 70-76 and Limitations (last page) - Appendix B. Page 39, discusses the current PM 2.5 levels PLUS the BEC will bring the PM 2.5 up to almost 32, the current regulations are 35. So -- now thing -- if ANYTHING else is permitted in town, how will the town of Billerica meet the new standards? Who PAYS for this?
http://www.epa.gov/oar/particlepollution/naaqsrev2006.html -- The town will need to meet the state to meet the Federal requirements, and the towns will need to mitigate and make the PM 2.5 lower - http://www.mass.gov/dep/air/priorities/sipoz.pdf

There won't be a plant. Stop wasting your time Billerica and move on to some really constructive solutions.

With an annual Town revenue growth over the last decade or so of nearly 8.5% per year and the squandering of $32M of Free Cash -- why would anybody support this project? The Town needs a to go on a revenue diet and make better use of its already bloated budgets. Most of those that support this project are on the recieving end of the taxpayer's $$s. Check out the Billerica Taxpayers Association website to get the real story. Billericabta.wordpress.com