September 24, 2012 davrow53

Power plant public hearing attracts crowd in Salem

Salem News September 20, 2012

Tom Dalton STAFF WRITER

SALEM — The first large public hearing on Footprint Power’s plan to build a natural gas-fired power plant on the Salem waterfront generated a lot of questions and concerns, but little heat.

If there is strong, broad-based community opposition to the idea of replacing 61-year-old Salem Harbor Station, a coal and oil-fired facility, with another power plant, it didn’t emerge last night from the more than 100 people who attended a Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board hearing at Salem High.

The project got a warm reception, as expected, from elected officials, business leaders and a union representative from the plant, but it also was endorsed by a Salem-based environmental group and several neighbors.

September 19 Public Hearing: Energy Siting Board

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.

September 5, 2012September 8, 2012 karenkahn33

Footprint announces Toyota partnership

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.

August 25, 2012 davrow53

How Much Will Footprint Power Pay Salem in Taxes?

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.

SAFE gets a chance to see what the harbor front looks like from inside the coal plant.

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.

August 23, 2012August 23, 2012 davrow53

Footprint details plans at first public meeting. Vows to build much cleaner power

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.

Footprint will clean up site

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.

August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 davrow53

Power plant deal is official

August 6, 2012

Footprint to hold public meetings to discuss development plans

By Alan Burke Staff writer Salem News

SALEM — Footprint Power has dropped the other shoe, announcing yesterday that the acquisition of the Salem Harbor Station power plant from Dominion Energy Inc. is a done deal.

“The change in ownership went into effect Saturday,” according to a press release. The company also confirmed that public meetings will be held to discuss their plans, which currently include an end to the coal plant’s operation in May 2014.

Plant to be cleaned up by 2017

House and Senate approve energy bill touted by Salem representative

By Jesse Roman

Staff Writer The Salem News

Tue Jul 31, 2012

Salem Harbor Station will be dismantled and the entire 60-acre site will be cleaned up by 2017, the state Legislature vowed yesterday in passing an energy bill championed by Salem Rep. John Keenan.

The legislation, embedded in a much larger renewable-energy bill, calls for the formation of a state task force to look into options for “the full financing” of deconstruction and cleanup of the plant. It will also explore how to maintain the jobs and tax revenue lost with the closing of the plant and will work to ensure “the responsible parties are held liable for costs of environmental remediation,” the bill reads.

Salem power-plant rider bogs down energy-bill talks

By Matt Murphy/State House News Service

State House News Service

Posted Jul 28, 2012

A key section of the House energy bill inserted by Rep. John Keenan to facilitate the redevelopment of the Salem Power Plant has severely complicated negotiations between the House and Senate over a final bill in the waning days of formal sessions for 2012.

According to lawmakers close to the negotiations and outside groups who have tried to offer alternative solutions to long-term contracting that could help clean up the Salem site, the overtures have thus far been unsuccessful.