By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
New motions have been filed and more
hearings could be scheduled ahead of the final stage of Clear River Energy
Center meetings that are expected to begin in December.The next public hearing, scheduled for Nov. 27 in front of the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB), will address the following motions:
A request by the Tribal Council of the
Narragansett Indian Tribe to join the application process as an intervenor.
The
nine-member council says it was excluded from an agreement made by tribal
leaders to sell cooling water from its Charlestown reservation to Invenergy
Thermal Development.
Members of the Narragansett Indian Tribe have expressed
opposition to the power plant and outrage that the water agreement was made without
approval from the council.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The EFSB formal hearing in Charlestown is currently scheduled for December 5th at Charlestown Elementary. On November 20 and 21, Charlestown filed motions with the Board to (a) request a postponement, if not of the hearing, then of the related filings and testimony by the town and (b) request state funding for research and analysis of the latest filings by Invenergy.
The town cites the fact that only recently did Invenergy file new notices and paperwork and thus Charlestown has not had a fair chance to carefully review that material. - Will Collette
EDITOR'S NOTE: The EFSB formal hearing in Charlestown is currently scheduled for December 5th at Charlestown Elementary. On November 20 and 21, Charlestown filed motions with the Board to (a) request a postponement, if not of the hearing, then of the related filings and testimony by the town and (b) request state funding for research and analysis of the latest filings by Invenergy.
The town cites the fact that only recently did Invenergy file new notices and paperwork and thus Charlestown has not had a fair chance to carefully review that material. - Will Collette
A request to dismiss the project application by the town of Burrillville for Invenergy taking too long to disclose that the regional energy grid operator, ISO New England, has refused a portion of the proposed power plant’s electricity in an upcoming auction.
A request by the
Conversation Law Foundation (CLF) to allow debate over Invenergy’s request for
a public hearing.
Invenergy made the request after it altered its water plan.
But CLF wants clarification as to whether the changes merit a public hearing or
perhaps require a more radical change to the application.
A request by CLF for
additional advisory analysis and request for the EFSB to hire an independent
expert in the area of energy market finance.
Other motions have since been
submitted to the EFSB by Invenergy, CLF and the town of Burrillville.
One of
the most intriguing is a filing by the town to conduct an independent
environmental analysis of the proposed fossil-fuel power plant and its impact
on habitat.
Burrillville says the application process for the
natural-gas/diesel facility has lacked an unbiased review similar to ones used
to vet the Ocean State Power facility and the Manchester Street Power Station
in Providence.
The Nov. 27 meeting is scheduled to
start at 10 a.m. at the EFSB office, 89 Jefferson Blvd. in Warwick. The
public will not be allowed to speak at the hearing.
The public will be allowed to speak
at hearings Dec. 5 and
6 in Charlestown and Burrillville, respectively. The venue for the Burrillville
meeting was recently changed from the high school to the middle school
auditorium.
A final phase of debate is scheduled
to begin Dec. 8 and run through February. A decision by the EFSB on the Clear
River Energy Center isn't expected until at least March.
The town of
Charlestown, however, has submitted a request that the final hearing be delayed
until Jan. 28, to give it time to research documents that Invenergy only
recently made available.