Join 350 Massachusetts, the MA Governor’s Climate Legacy Campaign and Sustainable North Shore 350MA at a major rally in Salem to turn the tide on fossil fuels. Organized to protest the construction of a new gas-fired power plant, “Only the Best for Salem” aims to send a message and a large crowd will help accompish that goal.
The Facebook page for this event can be found here:
Activists from around the state are organizing buses and rideshares for the event, it promises to be a big one! I’ll be attending along with a lot of activists from my neck of the woods, southern Worcester County. I’m bring video equipment on loan from Milford TV, don’t miss your chance to be part of the documentary!
Please share widely!
The existing coal plant generated power for 745,000 homes, would you prefer to keep the existing plant? Would your town pay Salem $4.75 million in taxes that the plant owners now pay, if all that’s left is an closed coal plant?
Are we to suffer with rolling blackouts when we have the need for power? What is the alternative (besides conservation).
for the plant to be closed, demolished and cleaned up. That’s part of our fees.
So I reject any and all notion that Salem will be left with a closed coal plant sitting vacant — and should Footprint attempt to do so, the state should go after them to the full extent of the law.
Meanwhile, once the site is cleaned up, it could house lots of businesses and housing units. It’s a vast track of land on a beautiful stretch of water in a city that can’t find land to build on fast enough to keep up with the demand of people who want to live there.
Finally, it’s being closed because the state said its power output was not needed to meet demand — so your attempt to hoodwink people into thinking 745,000 people wouldn’t have power is just wrong.
A new mixed use development, on a track of land with vast potential, will almost certainly make things better for residents of Salem — while shutting the coal plant down without any sweet heart deal for Footprint to build a new one will ensure fairness for ratepayers and a better environment for all.
Yet again, as happened with Seabrook Nuclear, delays and lawsuits gum up the works, in other words, being pests. “Already, the operator of the region’s power grid is warning that even a delay in completing the new Salem plant over the next two years could lead to electricity shortages, and possibly rolling blackouts. In addition, the power industry says a decision that overturns the Salem project’s approval would discourage developers from building other plants, leading to even more acute energy shortages.”
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/01/19/salem-plant-controversy-raises-climate-power-concerns/mutyupwDnSvjeSNcqKSsyK/story.html
…who knows anything about being a pest, you’re the expert, Dan!
From the link I provided in my comment below:
http://350ma.org/2014/01/only-the-best-for-salem-stop-the-salem-gas-plant/
Are you going to come out in favor of a corrupt sweetheart deal, Dan?
This is a $800 million construction project..jobs…jobs….jobs. And we are being warned about blackouts. This is likely one of many gas plants to GE built, let’s start moving dirt, laying new gas pipelines, and build new gas plants. Hell, build one on the Fernald Land in Waltham.
The courts get to decide. This case has been fast tracked. Stop your whining.
I get that you want to make our planet and its atmosphere as dirty and unlivable as possible, but between that and renewables we’ll do just fine.
…for seven months, there were no “rolling blackouts”. And the coal plant is closing, while the new plant isn’t slated to come online for 2 years after that – ISO New England has a plan for getting power during that time period. And yes, conservation, as well as transmission line upgrades, can make up for the power.
http://350ma.org/2014/01/only-the-best-for-salem-stop-the-salem-gas-plant/
On top of that, local activists in Salem have asked 350 MA to do this – take your comments elsewhere, please.
Really disappointed Keenan knifed us on this one. He looked me in the eye and said we had our sympathy at grandma’s wake, and then backed keeping the same plant that likely helped kill her. The Willows and Marblehead have been downwind of this for over 50 years, my dad’s had countless friends get cancer and die before their time, my grandparents both died of strokes that took them before their time, and all lived in the vicinity of this filthy five emitting hellhole.
We had a real opportunity to clean the site up, restore the old salt water pool my grandpa used to swim in as either a marina or a public park, and bring in new businesses and housing on a pristine and perfect site. It’s an eyesore that really wrecks the vintage maritime skyline along Salem Harbor. Not to mention the tanks that would have to come by the plant, whether its the risk of oil or coal spill at present, or an LNG explosion in the future. The harbor is almost too small to handle the capacity needed and it would really bottleneck it.
Just a terrible backward looking public policy generated by politicians in the pockets of the special interests. I have so many fond and personal memories of Winter Island and the Willows from my childhood and future generations should be able to enjoy a community that is cleaner and safer than the one at present. This is a once in a generation opportunity to do the right thing.
It’s nice to hear the local perspective – the view from Waltham needed a counterweight!