CBS 3 Springfield – WSHMSpringfield zoning board revokes Biomass plant permit
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WSHM) –
It's been a battle between petitioners. for more than two years now, the City of Springfield and Palmer Renewable Energy have been fighting over whether the plan for the Biomass plant on Page Boulevard should be allowed to move forward.
Tonight in the latest of many meetings on the issue, resident after resident said no.
The proposed plant would burn about 99,000 pounds of waste wood an hour. And that's why residents living around the area began the fight against it.
“I think it was the right decision. I think it was a simple decision to make,” said Patrick Markey, who spoke against the plant tonight.
The problem started in May 2008, when city councilors told Palmer Renewable Energy they would need a special permit to build the massive incinerator.
That permit was then revoked, halting the company's proposed plans.
In November 2011, the city's building commissioner went ahead and approved a building permit, allowing the plant to move forward.
And tonight, petitioners and city councilors against the East Springfield plant appealed that the building permit be revoked.
“Our zoning ordinance here in Springfield requires a special permit if you want to build something that incinerates,” said Markey.
After hours of rebuttals, it took only minutes for the zoning board of appeals to side with the petitioners on this one, revoking the building commissioner's permit to cheers and clapping in the packed room.
“Our building commissioner issued a building permit for this so-called biomass facility in the absence of a special permit,” said Markey.
It's a huge step for these residents who have fought the past two years to get the plans shut down once and for all.
“So the zoning board of appeals basically called him out and said, 'You were wrong to do that, you shouldn't have issued a building permit until the city council issued a special permit,'” said Markey.
But it's not the end to the story. Palmer Renewable Energy's attorney, Frank Fitzgerald, said that they will be appealing the decision in court, but he declined to comment on camera because it is now in litigation.
Petitioners say they're fighting through it until the end.
“This is not the end of it, there's 50 million reasons why this is going to the Supreme Court, the PRE has about $50 million in federal and state money at stake,” said Markey.
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