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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - After failing to obtain the transcript of a public hearing on a proposed power plant, state regulators have set a Jan. 15 deadline for speakers to resubmit their comments.
Department of Environmental Protection officials revealed the problem Dec. 18 during a second public hearing in Morgantown on the Longview power project. The disclosure prompted Delegate Cindy Frich, R-Monongalia, to write a letter to Gov. Bob Wise seeking an extension of the comment period.
The DEP's Division of Air Quality has notified all 41 people who spoke at the September hearing that they can resubmit their comments, Director John A. Benedict said in a Dec. 22 letter to Frich.
"Please understand that we take these comments, as well as all comments received on the proposed permit, very seriously and will endeavor to respond to those comments,'' Benedict wrote.
Benedict said the DEP has made numerous attempts to obtain the transcript from a court reporter contracted for the September hearing, including a certified letter that was returned marked "unclaimed.''
Needham, Mass.-based GenPower LLC wants to build the plant along the Monongahela River north of Morgantown. The $940 million facility would generate 600 megawatts of electricity, about enough to power 480,000 homes at peak production.
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