Wood-burning power plant gets OK

Hartford (AP) - Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection has cleared the way for construction of a wood-burning power plant in Plainfield.

The DEP this week rejected a motion by a group of environmental activists to reconsider the permits needed for the plant to be built by Plainfield Renewable Energy.

DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy had approved permits for the project last month, including those to construct and operate a solid waste facility, discharge water and withdraw water from the Quinebaug River.

Critics of the project had claimed that a water-based cooling system at the plant and discharge from the plant would harm the Quinebaug River.

They also argued that discarded wood and construction debris burned there to make electricity would pollute the air.

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Information from: The Hartford Courant