Power plant foes hope zoning change will stop project

WALPOLE - Opponents of a proposed power plant in Walpole may have a second chance in September to kill, or at least discourage, the project by changing a zoning bylaw.

Just hours before a midnight deadline Tuesday, a majority of the 15-member committee studying the town's zoning uses voted to ask selectmen to help narrow the range of industries welcome in town.

Zoning bylaws are broadly written, allowing "any lawful use" by special permit. The committee voted to omit those words from the bylaws so that power plants and other "noxious" industries could be turned away.

The vote came just before the midnight deadline for additions to the warrant for fall Town Meeting. Selectmen will discuss and vote on the recommended bylaw change on Aug. 26.

The underlying issue is a 580-megawatt gas-fired power plant that Competitive Power Ventures hopes to locate on Industrial Road. Although selectmen shut the door on the proposal in December, officials from the Silver Spring, Maryland-based company have insisted they aren't going away.

Efforts to change zoning language failed by just a few votes at a Special Town Meeting in March. But since then, residents have learned that Competitive Power Ventures had met with Town Meeting representatives privately just days before that vote. This time, the outcome may be different, say power plant foes.

After fighting off a string of unpopular business proposals for the past two decades, ranging from sludge landfills to a propane farm, Zoning Use Committee member Joanne Muti said she certainly hopes so. Muti said the language change is critical since another power plant company has recently expressed interest in Walpole.

Town Administrator Michael Boynton confirmed he received a call in June from a company scoping out potential sites.

Despite statements from Competitive Power Ventures officials expressing a desire to reopen discussions, Boynton said the company has not reached out since February.

The company did not respond to a request for comment.

"It's time to set a standard so that citizens no longer have to devote so much of their time fighting off proposals that put them at risk for explosions, increased truck traffic, noxious fumes, air pollution, and ground-water contamination," said Muti, also a Finance Committee member. "The risk posed by this language is unacceptable. Residents deserve better."

Zoning Use Committee chairman Ed Forsberg, who is also a Planning Board member, told selectmen on July 29 that the committee needs more time to finish its work on the entire zoning use package before seeking public input. So selectmen extended the committee's deadline for presenting comprehensive recommendations to May.

Kevin Foley, a supporter of the power plant and a founder of the citizens group Walpole Tax Relief, said the committee's purpose is to review and rewrite the entire range of allowed uses under the zoning laws - not just a single phrase or entry. He said the removal of the "any lawful use" language won't necessarily mean an end to the proposed power plant.

"They, for some reason, believe that taking the language out of the zoning use table will stop a power plant from coming to Walpole," said Foley. "But any power plant can go to the State Siting Board."

Still, he said, it does express the town's wishes. "Does it send a message that some people don't want a power plant?" he said. "Yes, it does."

Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at mmbolton1@verizon.net.