Burrillville has until Aug. 13 to prepare opinion on plant

BURRILLVILLE – The state Energy Facility Siting Board is giving the town until Aug. 13 to prepare and submit its supplemental advisory opinion on a new water supply plan

Invenergy is proposing for its proposed 1,000-megawatt power plant in Pascoag.

In March, the EFSB voted to ask for supplemental advisory opinions from the Burrillville building inspector, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Department of Environmental Management, Department of Transportation and Statewide to address the impacts of the proposed new water plan and gaps identified in the original advisory opinions.

Specifically, Burrillville Town Building Inspector Joseph Raymond will be asked to provide an advisory opinion on the impact of the new water plan and an analysis of additional information submitted by the power company regarding soil erosion, sediment control, stormwater management and building plans.

Meanwhile, Statewide Planning will be asked to address all 18 elements of the state guide plan including environmental issues such as biodiversity, impact on wildlife and ecosystems and recreational considerations.

According to the EFSB’s rules and regulations, agencies asked to submit advisory opinions on an application are allowed up to six months to do so, but the board has decid- ed to ask for an interim status report on the advisory opinions with final reports due on Aug. 13.

The EFSB, which will have final say on whether the plant is built, has discussed conducting another public hearing in Burrillville to allow concerned parties the opportunity to be fully informed, but it appears that hearing will be delayed until after the supplemental advisories are available for review. No date has been set, but the panel has indicated that they hope to conduct that final public hearing sometime during the summer. That hearing will be followed by evidentiary hearings that have yet to be scheduled.

The board’s final decision is due within 120 days of the beginning of the final hearings or 60 days after the end of the hearings, whichever is shorter.

In September of last year, EFSB voted to deny separate motions by Burrillville and the Conservation Law Foundation to dismiss Invenergy’s application.