Town Reaches Tax Agreement with Burrillville Power Plant Company
By: News Staff
news@abc6.com
BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — Plans on the contested power plant in Burrillville has been put on hold for now.
However, in the meantime, the Town Council worked out an agreement with the company to protect taxpayers.
It is hard to miss the signs that are scattered throughout Burrillville and their message is clear. Most residents do not want a power plant, and Jeremy Bailey is one of them.
“Right in essentially this backyard my backyard it’s disgusting it’s right in the middle of a National Park it’s just an area that is so unsuitable for a power plant it’s disgusting.”
Bailey has lived in Burrillville his whole life, but says he does not want to raise his kids next to what he calls a polluting monster.
Despite requests from the Town Council, the state appointed energy facility siding board has not dismissed the application for Invenergy’s plant.
The council recently approved a tax agreement that they say will protect residents, should the sitting board overrule the council and build the plant.
That includes 1.2 million in upfront payments from Invenergy to the town, which the council says it will go towards the fight to keep the plant out.
“I think that’s kind of dangling the carrot in front of the horse obviously this company wants a tax treaty why because they need a budget.”
The Town Council has made it clear that the agreement is not an endorsement of the plant.
Bailey is running for Town Council, but says as a resident he finds the tax agreement flawed.
“Many of the residents feel that we left some money on the table there are other areas in the property right buyout that are grossly deficient that we want the town to go back and we negotiate but they refuse.”
Invenergy failed to provide a water supply source and their application was not shut down, but granted a 90 day extension to find a source and they have until mid January to do so.
The Council President John Pacheco says the company has asked Woonsocket to supply water so he has asked the city of Woonsocket to refuse.
©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2016
