Power-plant opponents vent at public hearing

BURRILLVILLE – The first of three Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board public hearings for a proposed natural gas power plant lived up to expectations, as the contentious meeting lasted nearly four hours.

Many opponents of the $700 million Clear River Energy Center being proposed by Invenergy Thermal Development LLC of Chicago expressed dismay at the March 31 hearing about the disruption of their solitude in the heavily wooded community, according to a report by ecoRI News.

Others voiced alarm over pollution, noise, water use, traffic and 200-foot-tall smokestacks.

Some residents also questioned why the rural town was being asked to host another gas-fired power plant. Burrillville is home to the state’s largest power plant, as well as a massive compressor station along the Algonquin natural gas pipeline.

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Invenergy representatives didn’t respond to public comments, as the hearing was a listen-only session.

Another hearing will be held on May 23. •

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