Residential neighborhoods in Peabody and Danvers are close to the proposed gas turbine peaker, marked by an old smokestack
In stark violation of the Climate Law, Acts of 2021, Ch. 8 S. 15, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) on August 12 approved the request of the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC) to borrow $85 million to finance building the project 2015A peaker plant slated to be sited at the Waters River, at the Peabody/Danvers border, with the option to refinance at a later date.
The provisions of the Climate Law should have required a comprehensive health and environmental review with consideration of reliability, equity, and impact on the climate, not just cost, before proceeding.
You have an obligation to enforce the Next Generation Roadmap (Acts 2021 Chapter 8) to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and transition to renewables, ensure that the law is followed, protect the public health and the environment, and most important, to assure a better future for our grandchildren.