FROED One Government Center Fall River, MA 02722-7700 Tel 508-324-2620 Fax 508-677-2840 info@froed.org		THE CITY PLANS TO PUT ENERGY INTO WASTE PROJECT The O Jornal, Friday, July 24, 2009 - Page 1 FALL RIVER - The city is actively seeking to move from its current waste removal system utilizing the landfill to a system which would see the waste burned to make electricity. The vision is being incorporated into Fall River’s Energy Enterprise (FREE) plan, an initiative announced this spring. The plan seeks to transform the aging mill city into a beacon of renewable energy, by tapping the historic Quequechan River for electricity and erecting wind turbines, geothermal taps as well as tidal generators. Now the city - which will be meeting with local congressional leaders, members of the National Park Service and the Army Corps of Engineers sometime in September to discuss FREE - is looking to add another dimension to its greener plans. Mayor Robert Correia confirmed to O Jornal that the city is exploring Waste to Energy (WTE) and other options towards the eventual closing of the Allied Waste landfill in the North End. It is projected that the city has another 18 months to dump there before it is capped. “I wanted them to look into the waste to energy possibility, especially in the context of just Fall River’s waste needs,” Mayor Correia said. “We do have a company coming in looking at waste to energy. We have been in discussions with this company that has technology up and running to meet our needs. Correia said the company, which he will not name, can take curbside trash and utilize its chemical breakdown to make power. He said the company would have to create a facility here in order for that to occur. “They separate the solid waste and take out the recyclables. Whatever is left over is turned into fuel pellets. It is then burned in a closed facility producing no odor, but it does produce electricity, which is fed into the grid and the city would recoup money,” said the Mayor. Correia said this does not mean the city’s old incinerator could be used. “From what I am told no state will allow an incinerator to exist again,” he said. “They will allow you to take solid waste and allow you to burn it for electricity. They will not allow you to have an incincerator.” FREE Project Chairman Alan Amaral says the waste to energy aspect is a welcome addition to the project’s aim. “I can tell you that WTE is being looked at as a viable way to address the city’s waste issue.” said Amaral. Amaral confirmed that congressional leaders along with the Army Corps of Engineers will be coming to the city to begin discussions about the project and feasibility. The FREE committee is also preparing to send out requests for proposals on a number of fronts, said Amara. “I think it is coming along beautifully,” he said. “There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that are being fit together in a logical and progressive manner. I do know the RFP’s [Request for Proposal] are coming out very shortly. We have to have qualifications determined and defined and those are going to be part of the work of the task force in relative areas of hydro, wind and geothermal and tidal.” The Army Corps of Engineers is also excited about the chances to speak about the project as soon as the official requests are submitted. According to Larry Rosenberg, Chief of Public Relations for the Army Corps of Engineering, the initial meeting with city officials would be like a walk through. “It would be in the planning state, not coordinated with regular folks, no pre-application or pending permits, no official capacity to regard section 404 of clean water act,” he said. “We would listen and discuss with authorities these types of ambitious endeavors.” Rosenberg said the Army Corps, which recently worked on restoring the Blackstone River, would be intrigued at looking at the possibility of restoring parts of the Quequechan River and the subsequent discussions of harnessing its power in a safe and ecological way. “We are in a period where energy needs are great and cost of energy in going through the roof. For an ambitious idea, the time is right,” he said. Mayor Corriea said that much work remains on the exploration of the feasibility of the project, which would require that several on and off ramps from the Braga Bridge be removed in order to make way for a retaining hydro dam. “The onramps continue to be a battle,” said the mayor. “We have made a lot of headway. The Secretary of Transportation has been in agreement with me on removing a lot of those ramps and getting rid of Route 79. But the Mass Highway Commissioner is not in agreement on a lot of this.” Correia said he will be persistent. “We are talking about saving the state $60 million out of a $140 million repair project for the ramps,” he said. “Whatever is done with these ramps, we are going to be living with it for another 30 to 40 years. But I have to make sure it helps Fall River. The money they are going to save, we want them to use to take down Route 79 to reconnect the city with the waterfront. It is an ongoing battle right now.” Back