Sometimes common sense is worth more than money. Even if it happens to be $1.5 million a year for 20 years. That’s how much has been offered to the town of Billerica to allow a new power plant to be built there. 
I had heard a bit about this plant and was curious. I decided to check out an information session on the proposal at the Chelmsford library last month. And what I heard was truly disturbing. This plant will be built near the Concord River, and borders the towns of Chelmsford, Tewksbury, and Lowell. If built as proposed, it would become the 13th largest power plant (out of 154) in Massachusetts. Although our communities will bear the brunt of the effects of this proposed plant, there hasn't been a demonstrated need for additional power in the Merrimack Valley area. I believe there could be a significant health impact to those living within five miles of the Billerica site. This is due to the air pollution generated by the power plant’s six 80-foot stacks. 
There are also several real safety issues, each of which has different consequences depending on where you live relative to the power plant location in Billerica. The power plant is designed to run on natural gas, with diesel as a backup. There would be on-site storage of 500,000 gallons of flammable diesel fuel and two 24,000-gallon tanks of hazardous aqueous ammonia stored above ground and close to the Concord River. The plant will be designed to run unmanned and started remotely at times of peak need for power. It will be monitored remotely from several miles away. Being unmanned, with large quantities of diesel fuel, aqueous ammonia stored on site, and near residential areas are all causes of concern for homeland security. In the event of a leak or rupture of the aqueous ammonia tanks, residents within a certain radius of the plant may need to be evacuated. This detail was a real eye opener for me. Prior to the information session, I hadn’t checked a map to see how this would affect Chelmsford. I realized that my son’s middle school was not that far from where the plant would be built. In fact, all Chelmsford schools are within the five mile radius of the proposed plant. Not to mention nursing homes, assisted living facilities, daycare/preschools, and many residential homes and businesses. 
Common sense dictates that this plant is a bad idea in a bad location considering its possible effects on our public safety and health. Tewksbury’s Selectmen have already written a letter to the state and the town of Billerica opposing the power plant. Chemsford State Representatives Tom Golden and Geoff Hall, State Rep. William Greene of Billerica, and State Rep. Jim Miceli of Wilmington all vigorously oppose the proposal. I can only hope that other elected officials will get involved and that our own Selectmen will submit a letter of opposition. For information about the proposed plant's impact to air, water, safety and ecology, go to www.BillericaPowerPlant.org. For related events and developments in Chelmsford, go to www.preservechelmsfordsfuture.com. 

Roy Earley
Chelmsford Street
Chelmsford, MA