By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE
About 75 residents of Oxford, Middlebury, Southbury and Naugatuck braved the cold at the Connecticut Siting Council in New Britain Thursday, Dec. 11, to protest an application by Massachusetts-based Competitive Power Ventures (CPV) to build a power plant near the Oxford Airport off Woodruff Hill Road in Oxford. Approval from the council is necessary for CPV’s request to expand to 805 megawatts permits issued in 1999 for a 512-megawatt plant.
Those protesting knew they would not be allowed to speak because the agenda consisted solely of setting a public hearing date with no public input. The siting council set the hearing date for Jan. 15. Wayne McCormack of Oxford, leader of an advocacy group called Stop Towantic Power, said, “Our goal is to get the attention of the media and the public. We need to influence the council members that this is not in the best interest of the state of Connecticut.” Many of the protesters, which included children, wore breathing masks and carried signs.
Among those attending was Middlebury First Selectman Edward B. St. John. He complimented the attendees for becoming involved. He told the Bee-Intelligencer, “Middlebury lost an entire neighborhood of 71 homes because the Oxford Airport proved to be a bad neighbor. I see this Oxford power plant as a bad idea with the potential of being another bad neighbor and mortally wounding Middlebury.”
Middlebury resident Jean Peterson said, “Middlebury residents need to understand the urgency of protesting this enormous ridgeline plant only 500 feet from the Middlebury line, which will severely affect the air quality, noise levels, sight lines, night sky and property values of large numbers of Middlebury residents far more than they presently realize.” She also warned those outside Middlebury, “Area politicians need to wake up to the fact that increasing numbers of Oxford residents also do not want this plant any longer. They need to listen to all of their constituents and not just rely on what the Oxford first selectman wants for his tax base. Even 10 years ago the Oxford vote was very close.”
Middlebury resident Joan Rafford, who wore a protective mask at the rally, said, “I’m here because there are too many unanswered questions about carcinogens being discharged into the atmosphere, polluted water being discharged into the sewers, enormous amounts of cooling water being drawn from the aquifer and hazards to aircraft in the expanding Oxford Airport from smokestacks beneath the flight approaches.”
Other residents commenting on the protest were Ralph McKinney of Oxford, who said “Let’s keep this momentum going. This plant is wrong for all the surrounding communities and wrong for Connecticut,” and Shelly Roberts of Middlebury, who said “I’m pleased Middlebury First Selectman Ed St. John was here to oppose this bad idea.”
Two organizations have emerged to protest the power plant. “Stop Towantic Power,” a coalition of Oxford, Middlebury, Naugatuck and Southbury residents is organizing protests and lobbying government officials. They have a web site, stoptowanticpower.com. A Facebook-based organization, “Citizens Against CPV Oxford Energy Plant,” organized a petition and provides updates using that medium.
