Posted by Ed on July 26, 2007, 8:39 pm Billerica, Mass. -
24.34.144.49
Billerica Minuteman
Thu Jul 26, 2007, 01:25 PM EDT
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The Energy Facilities Siting Board took the right step in allowing Billerica Watchers Group to participate as interveners in hearings for a proposed North Billerica power plant, a step that helps empower residents in the important decisions surrounding this project.
Supporting the presence of Billerica Watchers Group is not in itself taking a stand for or against the power plant.
The group’s presence means the board believes the group has the understanding and willingness to do the research to make sound arguments, muster legal expertise and be in every way an equal participant.
The significance of the group’s presence is not only in allowing residents a voice.
It is also in the responsibilities placed on the group as a party in the hearing process.
The group’s participation should not be as simple as merely stating residents’ opposition or even concern about the power plant’s possible impact.
As group members know, participation will be as much listening as well as speaking, and wading into the tedium of gathering evidence to make cogent arguments.
What’s more, the group can serve most effectively if members speak for anyone who may be affected by this project — including those who may favor the plant but want its construction and operation to be safe, or those who haven’t taken a stand but want to know more.
No project of this magnitude should go forward without the input of those who will live with the results. An informed voice for residents is a vital part, and a part Billerica Watchers Group has the opportunity and duty to fulfill.
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