Wednesday, June 27, 2001
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Wednesday, June 27, 2001 |
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Will proposed power plant pollute Fayette? By JOHN THOMPSON
Nearly 300 residents from Fayette and south Fulton counties Saturday night voiced their opposition to a proposed power plant in their backyard. The meeting, at Atlanta City Church on Old Jonesboro Road, Union City, at times resembled an old fashioned church service with fire and brimstone pouring from residents' mouths. Dan Skizim, project director for the Fulton Energy Center, took the full frontal assault from residents who want the power plant to be built somewhere else. The 1,230-megawatt facility is slated for Peters Road, just off Ga. Highway 92, in south Fulton on land bordering north Fayette. Skizim said the plant, to be owned by Williams Company, would bring nearly 800 jobs to Fulton during the construction phase and 30-40 full-time, high-paying jobs when the plant is operational. The facility also would generate nearly $1 million in tax revenues to Fulton County every year, he said. Most of the residents were more concerned with noise and air pollution from the plant than expected tax revenues. One of the more vocal spectators was Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn. Dunn told Skizim that he would have had to provide far more information if he had considered building the plant in Fayette. "If not, you would have been escorted out of my meeting," he said. Dunn was also concerned when Skizim said the "prevailing winds" would possibly push any air pollution toward Henry County. "All of us who live here know the prevailing winds are coming through our county first," Dunn said. Under questioning from Dunn, Skizim said the plant would produce a maximum of 500 tons of air pollution a year. Because Atlanta doesn't meet federal air quality standards, the company would be required to mitigate that pollution by reducing pollution somewhere else, and Skizim said the firm's plan is to improve its facility in Stockbridge to make up for pollution generated by the new plant. "If you do a mitigation plan it will be 30 to 40 miles away from where the pollution is being created," Dunn said. "Is that not a concern for us?" "Air pollution is a regional problem," said Skizim. "The air is just swirling around everywhere in the atmosphere. It doesn't recognize political jurisdictions. "This is going to hurt our quality of life," Dunn said. Resident after resident questioned Skizim on how much noise the plant would generate. While he could not provide a decibel rating, he did say that the turbine engines would be enclosed and the building would be enclosed, which is something that's not usually done in the South. "Because of the climate, buildings are usually just left open without walls," he said. Skizim said the company is studying the noise level and will present all the information to Fulton County officials when the studies are complete. He did say the engines are roughly the size of two rail cars and there would be four engines in the plant. Skizim also tried to deflect residents' concerns about the safety factor by saying there will be nothing at the facility that could explode. Many residents were angry that Skizim could not quantify how much pollution or noise the facility would generate. Skizim said the facility would be state-of-the-art and added the company plans to donate at least 50 percent of the tract for green space. "This is permanent green space for whatever the community wants," he said. But two Coweta County residents who live near the just-completed Dynergy power plant in Heard County urged the residents to fight. "They'll promise you everything, but it's not what they say it's going to be," said Connie Olson. The residents pummeled Skizim with questions for more than an hour. When the meeting ended, Skizim promised more meetings, adding that the permitting process is expected to take a year. Williams officials are expected to apply to rezone the tract from residential to industrial this week with Fulton County. The Fulton Commission probably won't vote on the issue until after Labor Day.
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