Wednesday, August 8, 2001
|
Wednesday, August 8, 2001 |
|
PTC Council wants to clear the air on power plant's environmental effects By JOHN
MUNFORD
The Peachtree City Council has joined the chorus of voices seeking more environmental information about a power plant that is proposed for south Fulton County on the Fayette County border. Council approved a resolution at its regular meeting Thursday night which has already been signed by the Fayette County Commission. The resolution calls for an independent company to conduct an environmental impact study for the power plant project proposed by the Williams Company. Councilman Steve Rapson, who is employed by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, abstained from voting on the measure. Plans call for a 1,230-megawatt plant on a 288-acre track in south Fulton County. The plant will be fueled by natural gas. Estimates call for the plant to also use nearly 6.5 million gallons of water a day. A Williams spokeswoman said most of that will come from treated wastewater, which will be used to cool the plant's massive turbine engines. Company officials have said repeatedly that they are in sympathy with local requests for more information, and have delayed their requests for rezoning to give the community more time to learn about the plant. Mayor Bob Lenox said plans "seem like the height of folly to put an electric generating plant in the middle of a residential neighborhood." He also noted that the plant would not be producing power for Georgia. "I have an awful lot of questions about this thing," Lenox said. Company officials say the location is ideal because the plant will be gas-fueled, and there is a natural gas pipeline right next to the site. The resolution would be forwarded to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the mayor of Union City, since both jurisdictions will have to make zoning decisions regarding the proposed plant site, said City Manager Jim Basinger. Councilwoman Carol Fritz said she has a problem with air emissions blowing over Fayette County while the company plans to conduct mitigation activities in Henry County.
|
||