On June 13, 2013, SAFE presented a proposal to Mayor Driscoll to pursue a Community Benefits Agreement with Footprint Power, the developer that now owns Salem Harbor Station. The proposal focuses on two key community concerns: mitigating carbon emissions which contribute to climate change and therefore sea level rise, which could devastate our community, and a dispute resolution process. Read the full proposal here.
From Politico:
Riding the momentum of President Barack Obama’s pledges to tackle global warming, Senate liberals are giving climate legislation another try — despite the seemingly insurmountable odds of winning congressional approval.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Senate Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) unveiled a climate bill Thursday that would put a price on carbon and rebate 60 percent of the revenue to U.S. citizens. Read more.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/forecast-for-new-climate-bill-gloomy-87686.html#ixzz2L0mc0Yyb
Posted in climate change, fossil fuels
by Tom Dalton
Staff Writer, Salem News
September 28, 2012
SALEM — The state will make sure that past and current owners are held responsible for the cleanup of the Salem Harbor Station power plant, the state’s top energy official said yesterday.
“We are not going to let any responsible party off the hook,” said Richard Sullivan, secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “We need to hold everybody responsible.”
The Siting Board will conduct a public comment hearing to receive public comments on the proposed Footprint Natural Gas Facility, which will replace the current coal facility at Salem Harbor Station.
The hearing is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at Salem High School, 77 Wilson Street, Salem, Massachusetts. This is an important opportunity to hear from the developers.
At the public comment hearing, Footprint will present an overview of the proposed facility. Public officials and the public will then have an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the proposed facility. The Siting Board will also accept written comments on the proposed Facility at the public comment hearing. Written comments also may be filed with the Siting Board at the address below, until 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.
The public comment hearings will be recorded by a court reporter. Interpreters for both Spanish and Portuguese will be available at the public comment hearings for any members of the public who need translation in order to ask questions or make comments.
Posted in fossil fuels, Salem Harbor Station
The Boston Globe reports that Dominion, the previous owner of Salem Harbor Station, has announced that it will sell its largest Massachusetts coal-fueled plant, Brayton Point.
Dominion Resources Inc. said Thursday it plans to get out of the wholesale power business and reduce debt by selling its massive Brayton Point plant in Somerset.
Brayton Point, which includes three coal-fired units and one operated on oil or natural gas, generates up to 1,536 megawatts of electricity, enough for about 1.5 million homes, according to the Virginia-based company. Located across Mount Hope Bay from Fall River, it has about 190 employees.
The decision to put Brayton Point on the market follows last month’s completion of a deal by Dominion to sell the Salem Harbor Power Station in Salem to Footprint Power LLC.
The closure of the Somerset plant would be a victory for the Coal Free Commonwealth campaign, which aims to shudder all the state’s coal-fired plants by 2020.
Posted in fossil fuels
The Salem News reports that the new owner of the Salem power plan, will be partnering with Toyta Tsusho Corp., a member of the group of companies that includes Toyota Motors Corp.
“We are delighted to add a world-class organization with Toyota’s resources and experience as a member of our team,” said Peter Furniss, Footprint’s CEO.
“We look forward to working together with Toyota Tsusho to successfully develop a new, clean, efficient facility that will serve as the economic engine that will drive redevelopment of the rest of the non-power portions of the site.”
Toyota Tsusho will be actively involved in the development process, contributing financially to the project as well as providing its expertise in development and operation of electric generating facilities. Read more.
The Salem News updated this story on September 6.
Posted in fossil fuels, Salem Harbor Station
by Stewart Lytle, Salem Patch
August 22,2012
Footprint Power presents its plan for a new, smaller natural gas plant that will leave 40 acres of waterfront for future development.
It isn’t often that a city gets a gift that promises to pay at least $4.75 million a year in local taxes, creates jobs, pollutes far less and gives the city about 40 acres of land it can use to open the harbor to more public access while developing other tax-paying, job-creating businesses.
Footprint Power promises that soon everyone in Salem will be able to approach the harbor and enjoy these views: minus the coal, stacks, and ugly industrial buildings.
seldom seen view of Winter Island
view of the coal pile
Conservation Law Foundation’s Shanna Cleveland checking out the site and the management
An industrial age on the wane. The flagpole is planted at the memorial to the 3 workers who died at the plant in November 2007.
By Bethany Bray
Staff Writer Salem News
August 22, 2012
SALEM — Footprint Power executives said yesterday the natural gas-fired plant they plan to build on Salem Harbor will be “dramatically cleaner” than the coal-burning one that has operated there since the 1950’s.
The public got a first glimpse at Footprint’s plans at a public meeting yesterday morning — the first of what many public sessions on the project.
In an interview with the Salem News, the new owners of Salem Harbor Station say,”we’re going to do it right.” The new plant owners, Peter Furniss and Scott Silverstein of Footprint Power, take responsibility for the clean up, and claim they do not need public subsidies to ensure that the old plant is taken down. Read more.
Posted in fossil fuels, Salem Harbor Station
