Trumbull citizens concerned over plant

Trumbull, Conn. (WTNH) - Residents in Trumbull took their concerns regarding the construction of a high-tech power plant right in the middle of their neighborhood to the State Capitol Thursday.

Average citizens feel that they are being left out of the planning process of a new gas fired fuel cell electric plant in the Nichols section of town.

Dozens and dozens of Trumbull residents jammed into a State Capitol hearing room, declaring they've been left out of the loop, because only a few had received letters about the project. "It was a very vague letter, it didn't state exactly where it was going, it just said; 'off Huntington Turnpike,'" said Trumbull resident Richard Moore.

The location turned out to be across the street from Richard Moore's house. A gas boiler that's been there for years, in a neighborhood described as 'the soft underbelly of suburbia,' is to be replaced with a 3.4 megawatt generator, featuring the latest fuel cell technology. The idea was developed by a Connecticut company and was recently touted in a visit to their Torrington plant by Senator Chris Dodd.

"It didn't state a lot of things, if you're going to put a power plant in a neighborhood, it probably should have said so," added Moore.

To make matters worse, the letters came just days after the gas explosion at the Kleen Energy Plant project that took six lives and injured dozens of workers in Middletown. "Siting electrical power generators on 50 year-old high pressure gas lines is probably something we should have a bit more transparency around," said Keith Klain also of Trumbull.

Unlike the isolated Kleen Energy project, this is smack in the middle of a close neighborhood and less than a half mile from several schools. "The people do not have a say when something like this is proposed in their neighborhoods," complained Trumbull resident Enda Collucci.

"This is not a 'not in my backyard' issue," said State Rep. TR Rowe. "This is an issue of the safety of what's known as a hybrid fuel cell based upon natural gas."

Due to the fact that this is new technology, there are a lot of questions. The company is attempting to put together a 'Town Hall' type meeting to answer those questions. However, residents of Trumbull want state lawmakers to require the State Siting Council to have more public input on these types of projects so that other towns and their residents don't get caught they did.