Public Comment, City Council, 070709

Here's public comment from Thursday night's city council meeting.
Big questions: Should the landfill expansion go to the voters? Should the city of Northampton impose a local option meals tax? This is more fun to watch than to read about, so here y'are. Have chopped it into 4 sections.

Many thanks to NCTV, who were happy to have me hang about the studio and extract web-quality video from their raw file this afternoon. The transcode took about two hours, which provided an opportunity to catch up w Al Williams, Bryn Francis, and their new access coordinator, Ben Brown, who seems, as we used to say up in Maine, wicked smaht.

In general, lots of unhappiness about the city council gag order (the city council has been told by the city solicitor not to speak with Northampton citizens about the landfill expansion), and a generally-expressed wish for transparency from city hall and the council. Watch Alex Ghiselin at the beginning of clip four; he makes an interesting proposal.

Lots of restaurant and hotel people--owners, managers, and workers--came to speak out against the local option meals tax. The best comment was made by the owner of Viva Fresh Pasta, who suggested instituting a therapy and lawyer tax if the city is going to tax restaurant meals. "We're all in the same service industry," she remarked. She noted that restaurant owners are under pressure to pay a living wage, and described the plight of a dishwasher slogging away till one o'clock in the morning, whom she would love to be able to pay more than eight dollars an hour.

Tax and fee advocate Pamela Schwartz, who's running for city council, spoke in favor of the proposal. "Northampton does not have a spending problem, it has a revenue problem," she opined. The city council apparently agreed, as it approved the meals tax proposal later in the evening.

There was a great music scene happening at Sam's on Thursday; several who left the meeting after public comment ventured across the street to buy a slice of pizza, hang around on the sidewalk, and listen to the local jazzers play. What a beautiful town.




above: suzanne beck, dan yacuzzo, mansour ghalibaf

Fryin' Fish

Am hard at work publicizing a blog designed to unite communities nationwide that are confronting the prospect of hosting large-scale wood-burning biomass plants. Am collaborating with some folks who are working in Washington to fix HR 2454, AKA the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill.

As you've probably heard, the CO2 emitted by biomass plants falls through a carbon-accounting loophole. This CO2 is not regulated by the RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative), is not regulated by the US EPA, not regulated by the MA DEP, and would not be regulated under the federal cap-and-trade system as proposed.

Kicker is, wood-burning biomass plants emit more CO2 per unit of energy produced than the worst coal plants. Don't believe it? Here's some documentation.

We're being told, by government officials and entrepreneurs, that wood-burning biomass plants are "carbon-neutral." This just isn't so. Read this article if you want a quick understanding of carbon accounting as it relates to forestry products. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),

“Biomass fuels are included in the national energy and CO2 emissions accounts for information only. Within the energy module biomass consumption is assumed to equal its regrowth. Any departures from this hypothesis are counted within the Land Use Change and Forestry module.”

This means that if carbon is not counted as an emission when trees are incinerated, it should at least be counted when the trees get cut down. In Massachusetts, this only happens when there is a wholesale change in land use--from forest to housing development, for instance. Heavy logging to produce biomass fuels flies under the radar of the carbon counters, as does incineration itself.

Just because the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has chosen not to count carbon emissions from wood biomass incinerators does not mean that they are "carbon-neutral."

But I digress.

I know there's a lot going on in Northampton. Will try to do my part.

But in the meantime, check out our little biomass communities blog project: we've already got readers from all over the country, and have developed an audience that includes national-level environmentalists and policy makers. It's kind of exciting.

Village Hill NPC; Percolate

Left: members of the Hospital Hill Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) deliberate.

In case you missed it the first time---here's a public document from the archives. Essential reading for anyone who is interested in the Hospital Hill story. In a nutshell: how is it that a lunatic asylum got taken over by a military contractor? Somebody with a more poetic writing style than mine might wish to take that one on. And perhaps the story needs to percolate: ten years from now, how will things be working on Hospital Hill?

May 2008 Notice of Project Change (pdf), submitted to the EOEA MEPA office by Hospital Hill Development LLC. Proponents successfully petitioned the state for an amendment of a standing master plan which directed the redevelopment of a former State Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. The original plan had called for moderately-scaled mixed-use development. Approved by MEPA officer Bill Gage. Document prepared by Maynard-based Epsilon Associates.

Here's the project description:

Modification of Memorial Campus Master Plan and sale of 11 acres to Kollmorgen Corporation for construction of an R&D/manufacturing facility and creation of new jobs. Change of Project Name.

Project Name: Village Hill, Northampton IEOEA #: 12629
Street: Route 66 (Chapel StreetlWest StreetIEarle Street)
Municipality: Northampton
Watershed: Connecticut River

Proponent: Hospital Hill Development LLC
MassDevelopment
160 Federal Street
Boston, MA 02 110

The Community Builders, Inc.
322 Main Street
Springfield, MA 01105-2408

Name of Contact Person From Whom Copies of this NPC May Be Obtained:
Corinne Snowdon
FirmIAgency: Epsilon Associates, Inc. I Street: 3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 250
Municipality: Maynard I State: MA I Zip Code: 01754
Phone: 978-897-7100 I Fax: 978-897-0099 I E-maiI:csnowdon@epsilonassociates.com

Regional Impact, Four Large Power Plants

Left: Developer Matt Wolfe, 34, principal of Cambridge-based Madera Energy, answering questions posed by the Greenfield, Massachusetts, Zoning Board of Appeals.

Two weeks ago, as a reporter for Northampton's Valley Advocate, I traveled to Western New England College in Springfield to cover a panel discussion on biomass plant development in Western Massachusetts. (Plants are planned for Springfield, Pittsfield, Russell, and Greenfield.)

There has been no state-level analysis to date of the combined impact of the four plants on our region-- yet state environmental chief Ian Bowles seems to be fast-tracking these projects through the permitting process.

Read my report here: http://www.valleyadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=9967

Local journalism on the biomass issue: Monte Belmonte, WRSI radio host, has posted a terrific podcast interview with engineer Mark Beaubian, who, in high science geek style, takes issue with information presented by project developers. Here's another podcast interview w Beaubian, who blasts state and local government for fast-tracking biomass plants in Western Massachusetts.

Monte has also posted a podcast interview with Electrical worker Bob Wilson, who supports the plant.

Chris Collins Calls Out Gfld ZBA

WHMP News Director Chris Collins, in a podcast posted today, takes the Greenfield Zoning Board of Appeals to task for voting on Madera Energy's special permit application at 8 o'clock on a Monday morning.


"I don't care how anybody on the board feels personally about this issue...What I do care about is that they uphold the town zoning regulations and have some respect for the people whose interest they're appointed to protect."

hear it: http://podcast.whmp.com/whmp/1822839.mp3

Greenfield ZBA approves Biomass Burner

On Monday morning, at an 8 AM meeting, the Greenfield Zoning Board of Appeals granted Matt Wolfe of Madera Energy the special permit he's been seeking from the town to build a $2.5 million, 47- megawatt wood-burning biomass electrical plant on a property next to the town's industrial park. The board imposed a number of conditions upon the project.

Some charge that the meeting was not posted 48 hours in advance, and that a violation of state open meeting law occurred.

Wolfe will still need several state and federal permits. Read local reporting on the meeting here:

Anita Fritz in the Greenfield Recorder
Anita Fritz in the Daily Hampshire Gazette (longer story, subscription required)
David Vallette on MassLive
Nate Walsh for ABC40
WWLP clips on Greenfield biomass
Montaguema.net forum

Noho DPW Guys

Special message to the MassLive forum trollers who paint the Northampton DPW workers as a bunch of layabouts: Would you care to trade places with these guys? Summer Street, Northampton, June 2009.

The Climate Bill Hits Home

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich issued a press release last week explaining why he voted against H.R. 2454, The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, referred to as the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill. One of Kucinich's reasons is relevant to Western Massachusetts, where four biomass-fueled, electricity-generating plants are proposed—in Russell, Greenfield, Springfield, and Pittsfield.

The developer of the Greenfield facility, Matt Wolfe, 34, does not deny that biomass plants emit more CO2 into the atmosphere, per unit of energy produced, than coal. Under the Waxman-Markey bill, however, biomass burners are not bound by greenhouse gas cap-and-trade conventions.

Kucinich, on his opposition to the bill:

"11. Dirty energy options qualify as “renewable”: The bill allows polluting industries to qualify as “renewable energy.” Trash incinerators not only emit greenhouse gases, but also emit highly toxic substances. These plants disproportionately expose communities of color and low-income to the toxics. Biomass burners that allow the use of trees as a fuel source are also defined as “renewable.” Under the bill, neither source of greenhouse gas emissions is counted as contributing to global warming."

Read the whole story as reported in the Cleveland Leader.

The HuffingtonPost has some good reporting on the vote in Congress.

Roy Cowdrey Calls the Cops

Don't miss a single episode! Greenfield ZBA, The Reality Show, in which the Board chair, Roy Cowdrey (middle), calls upon a couple of burly cops to escort a woman from the microphone at a public hearing.

The ZBA was conducting its final public hearing on a proposed 47-megawatt biomass plant planned for a site adjacent to the industrial park. 250 or so citizens were in attendance, many, clearly, of the monkey-wrench persuasion. The board will reconvene on Monday morning at 8 A.M. and will likely take their vote on the special permit app for the project at that time.

Greenfield: If you really want to prevent "out-of-town" reporters and bloggers from violating your borders, stop being so damned entertaining. Hear it:

Cops, Zoning Board, Heckling Crowd: Greenfield!

Northampton is so polite. Greenfield is wild. ZBA hearing on a controversial proposal, ZBA chair pulls rank on public comment, cops escort a woman from the mic, the crowd goes wild. More later.

Photos from Adams Kickoff

Jesse Adams Kicks Off Campaign

Jesse Adams' campaign kickoff speech, June 24, 2009, at the Northampton Country Club.

Adams is running for the at-large seat on the Northampton City Council currently held by councilor Michael Bardsley, who will abdicate the seat in his run for mayor. Born and raised in the Pioneer Valley, Adams completed a bachelor's degree in English at UMass Amherst and graduated from law school at Western New England College. Having passed the bar in 2007, Jesse Adams is a practicing member of the Northampton legal community. He currently serves on the Forbes Library Board of Trustees.

There are two at-large seats up for grabs this year, and three candidates: Adams, veteran councilor James Dostal, and Kathy Silva.

City Finance Chief Chris Pile in the News

The city of Northampton was apparently wise to minimize its investment in the Massachusetts state pension fund, the Pension Reserves Investment Trust, or PRIT, this past year, a fund which suffered a loss of 29.5% in 2008.

The State House News Service reported the following:

"The best-performing fund in 2008 was the $60 million Northampton Retirement Board fund, which covers the benefits of 683 active public employees and 338 retirees. Its 19.3 percent loss in 2008 was the smallest in the state.

“We’ve done consistently well and that’s without doing some of the more risky investment types,” said Christopher Pile, city finance director and chair of the board. “We didn’t get into hedge fund or any of that kind of stuff.”

Pile said the board has about $2 million invested with PRIT, but wants to remain independent from the state fund. “We don’t feel any pressure to put any more in there obviously since the state pension fund did far worse than we did,” he said. “I think we’ll just stick with what we’re doing.”

Investments in cash and bonds helped insulate Northampton from losses that other funds took in riskier categories, such as emerging markets and international equities, but the local fund is moving back towards stocks again. Pile credited the advice of the DeBurlo Group, a fund consultant that also advised Malden retirement officials."