To the editor,
I want to provide community members with my views on the proposed power plant in Oxford. At this time I realize that major infrastructure improvements are needed not only across our state but across the nation as a whole. However, I am very concerned about the potential impacts that this plant could have on the borough. I want to make sure that borough property owners are protected.
A home is a person’s biggest investment, it is my duty as your burgess to ensure that this investment is protected. A study from Berkley University done in 2010 states, “Compared to neighborhoods with similar housing and demographic characteristics, neighborhoods within two miles of plants experienced 3-7 percent decreases in housing values and rents with some evidence of larger decreases within one mile and for large capacity plants. In addition, there is evidence of taste-based sorting with neighborhoods near plants associated with modest but statistically significant decreases in mean household income, educational attainment, and the proportion of homes that is owner occupied.”
I for one do not want to put borough homeowners at risk. The plant is 1.35 miles from Fieldstone Terrace, a borough neighborhood.
Secondly, I am concerned about the environmental impacts that this plant poses. For one, although natural gas is a cleaner energy than oil, it still places pollutants in the air. This is deeply concerning to me as I do not want people to be breathing in any more pollutants. According to the U.S. Library of National Medicine on a study about living near a fuel power plant published 2012, “After adjusting for age, sex, race, median household income, and rural/urban residence, there were significant 11 percent, 15 percent, and 17 percent increases in estimated rates of hospitalization for asthma, ARI, and COPD, respectively, among individuals > 10 years of age living in a zip code containing a fuel-fired power plant compared with one that had no power plant.”
I am concerned about the quality of life we are providing for our residents. Not only does the natural gas burned affect the air around us, but it affects the planet as well because it has to be extracted from somewhere using large diesel burning machines, and the risks of fracking the material must be weighed. Although the gas is being fracked hundreds of miles away, it is still being fracked on the one planet that we have, potentially causing harm to others.
I myself love to kayak in the Naugatuck River, and it has taken great strides to clean this river up. I would not want to see anything come into the area that will harm the progress we have made with the Naugatuck River. As I have always said, I believe that this borough’s future lies with the many great outdoor areas that we can offer people. A plant like this is contradictory to everything that I have stood for.
As for the point that CPV continues to make about jobs, during the construction of the plant there will be construction jobs. However once the plant is totally operational there will be about 22 to 29 engineers working in the plant. I don’t know how many of these engineers will live in Naugatuck and of what economic benefit they will be to the borough.
As for where a power plant like this belongs, I can tell you it doesn’t belong in Oxford. It also doesn’t belong in an inner city either where people have been disadvantaged already and already have way more pollutants in the air. A plant like this belongs far away from people and housing values. I believe that there are other ways to increase the economic activity of our area. Putting housing values at risk is not one of them.
Promoting our state forest as a place for people to come and enjoy and promoting our river as one that people can use for recreational use is a great way to promote the community and encourage economic growth. I would be willing to look into the possibility of solar panels on the Naugatuck River where the Uniroyal site used to be. I would also be willing to look into the possibility of a wind farm on the top of Andrew Mountain at the property the borough purchased. Seeing solar panels or a wind farm is much more attractive than seeing smoke stacks. As companies look to communities to move into, promoting Naugatuck as a green community will help our chances of attracting companies.
I hope that I have provided residents with some insight as to my feelings on this plant. For those who support the plant I can understand why one would support it. I respect the opinion of those who show support for this plant, however I am not one of them. I will be writing a letter to the Siting Council expressing my concerns about property values and air quality for the residents of Naugatuck. Please feel free to email me at ajolbrys@gmail.com or call me at (203) 819-2347 with anything else that you would like me to address with the Siting Council.
Alex Olbrys
Burgess
Naugatuck
