Today was a rather disappointing one in terms of my efforts to make a fully informed decision regarding the Chestnut Hill BioEnergy proposal. Over the past two months my fellow members of the Environmental Control Commission and I have been researching the science behind the proposal, and the history of the company involved.
Some of our information supported the proposal, especially with regards to the science behind the proposal. However, there was much more information that has been discovered that makes this proposal seem like the wrong fit for Waterbury. Many of these arguments against the Chestnut Hill plant were posted in my entries on April 13, 2009 and May 1, 2009.
As this topic has become such a hot button issue in Waterbury over the past two months I was not surprised when I received a message over Facebook that Mr. Goodemote wished to speak with me about his plan. In fact I was happy to meet with him as I hoped it would give me an opportunity to ask some of the questions that those of us on the ECC had. I also hoped it would give Mr. Goodemote the opportunity to correct some of the misconceptions that he claimed were floating around the city.
With this in mind, I talked to Mr. Goodemote on May 15 and scheduled an appointment for today at 3:30. As far as I understood, I was to meet Mr. Goodemote at the proposed truck entrance at the corner of Benedict and Jewelry St.
Unfortunately when I arrived at the old Anamet site today at 3:30, Mr. Goodemote was not there. I waited at the site for 15 minutes, and even checked the public entrance on Washington Ave. During this entire time there was no sign of Mr. Goodemote, or anyone for that matter.
The fact that I was stood up by Mr. Goodemote was more then disappointing. When you consider the number of questions that the Environmental Control Commission had for the folks at Chestnut Hill, questions that were not answered at all, it makes you scratch your head.
I'm not one for conspiracy theories, but the events of today seem to reinforce the notion that the folks at Chestnut Hill don't want the citizens of Waterbury asking too many questions. Now, more then ever, I feel that this plant is the wrong fit for the city of Waterbury.
2 comments:
I don't live in Waterbury, but I speak from the other end of CT (North Stonington) with some awareness of the local impact of co-gen plants. I congratulate you, bryan, for struggling to get this right, because once you have the project up and running (I refer to our Preston incinerator/co-gen facility indirectly) it's hard to back out or even address local impact on roads and neighborhoods. Good on you and fellow commissionaires for agonizing over the choice between enterprise and the quality of Waterbury living.
Excellent entry about Chestnut Hill, Bryan. Shows their true colors! Are you coming to the rally against the plant on Sat., June 27th @ 10:30 a.m. (we're starting at City Hall and walking down to the Anamet site)? Hope so!
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