HUGE NEWS for LLEG...
SEC approves
Laidlaw’s application
BY BARBARA TETREAULT
THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
CONCORD — The N.H. Site Evaluation Committee yesterday unanimously approved Laidlaw Berlin BioPower’s application to construct and operate a 70 megawatt biomass plant in Berlin. The approval comes with a large number of conditions, including a list of stipulations negotiated between the city and Laidlaw. SEC Attorney Michael Iacopino said other conditions include a signed wood supply agreement with Cousineau Forest Products, an operations agreement with Homeland Renewable, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction agreement with Babcox and Wilcox, and a wood harvesting
sustainability agreement negotiated with the Counsel for the Public. The state Public Utilities Commission must also approve the 20-year power purchase agreement between Laidlaw and Public Service of N.H.
A written certificate of site and facility will be issued by Oct. 22. The 9-member committee deliberated for two full days following a nine month procedure that included a 900-page application, a public hearing and site visit in
Berlin, two technical sessions, and six days of adversarial hearings. The committee had until Sept. 23 to make a decision on the application.
Laidlaw CEO Michael Bartoszek thanked the committee and praised the community for supporting the project. “As befi ts a project of this scale
and importance, our application was long and complex, and the committee
is to be congratulated on its thorough review within its statutorily-mandated
deadline. This was no easy task, but the citizens of New Hampshire can be
confident that our project has been subject to the highest degree of scrutiny to
ensure that this will be a safe and reliable source of clean energy for decades
to come,” Bartoszek said in an e-mail. He also recognized the support the
project received from many area residents. “We could not have come all this
way without the tremendous support of the citizens of Berlin and the business,
political and community leaders of the North Country, as well as many
of our other supporters around the state,” Bartoszek said. He said the construction and operation of the biomass plant will create jobs and in addition there will be hundreds of indirect jobs created in the forest industry. “This project will help revitalize the Berlin area economy by using what is already there, from the site itself to the ample supply of natural resources.
Berlin truly is “The City that Trees Built”, and we look forward to being
part of that legacy,” Bartoszek said. The SEC decision was cheered by
Berlin Mayor Paul Grenier, who made his support for the project the centerpiece
of his successful campaign for mayor. “I think the Laidlaw news is fantastic
for Berlin,” he said. Grenier said the project will provide needed jobs for the region and tax revenues for the city. He said a large piece of land that is an eyesore will be turned into a viable industrial site. Grenier pointed to the agreement reached between the city and Laidlaw that calls for the company to develop a river walk and sets limits on noise, truck traffic, and dust from the plant. He said there is also the possibility of $2.25 million in New Market Tax
Credits to set up a revolving loan fund for the forest industry and $500,000
for a community project. “I think the city has got one helluva deal out of this whole project,” he said.
The mayor called on opponents of the Laidlaw project to stop their opposition and work together to improve the local economy. Grenier said now
that the project has SEC approval, continuing to fight it will only delay
much needed jobs for the region.
