Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
BROCKTON, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — After a decades-long battle, opponents of the proposed power plant development in south Brockton might be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) denied the builder, Brockton Power, an essential air pollution permit to move forward with the construction earlier this month.
However, Brockton City Officials and local residents said they are still walking on the side of caution about this project.
“It’s not dead yet,” City Councilor Susan Nicastro told WBZ NewsRadio. “It’s still around. [It] might be on life support but it’s around.”
Brockton Power has faced numerous setbacks when they proposed the power plant back in the late-2000s. In 2017, former Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter already declared the project “dead,” in an interview with The Enterpise.
Ed Byer is a long-time resident and opponent of the build. He owns a local business in the neighborhood, Cindy’s Kitchen, and said he believes the developer will eventually walk away from the project.
“They’re just trying to keep a dead person alive,” he said. “They’re going to walk away. He’s a business guy…. I don’t think he like paying for the attorneys anymore.”
The business man Byer refers to is Jay Cashman, the owner of the construction company based in Quincy overseeing this hundreds of million dollar project. Cashman's attorney told WBZ NewsRadio that they plan to file a motion of reconsidering but not sure yet if they will appeal the DEP decision.
Councilor Nicastro said she believes they will file that appeal because she thinks they have nothing to lose, “so they’re going to continue pursuing right to the bitter end.”
The long-standing opposition of the power plant comes as residents are concerned of the potential health impacts the power plant could bring to the community. Fourth generation Brocktonian Kate Archard said that asthma deaths are prominent cases there.
And Byer attributed the ongoing struggle with Brockton Power to the disproportionate economic challenges of the city.
“Brockton hasn’t been lucky in a lot of other things that have happened to the city,” he said. “So, the residents came together and it shows that they can make a difference.”
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.