Johnston mayor eyes cash for landfill 'trash-energy' plant
3:15 PM Wed, May 27, 2009 | Permalink
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JOHNSTON, R.I. -- The town might accommodate a "trash-to-energy" facility at the state's Central Landfill, but only if the plant meets the required health and safety standards and only if it pays enough money to Johnston on an annual basis, Mayor Joseph M. Polisena said Wednesday. Polisena said he will oppose a new trash-to-energy plant at the landfill if the developer "comes up with a very poor compensation package." "I don't want the taxpayers to get the short end of the stick like they did when the host community agreement was signed with the landfill," he said. "We need to be compensated heavily for them to put one of these in," Polisena said. The bill has been described as a first step that would allow the state to begin exploring "waste-to-energy" opportunities. Polisena said he wants to make sure Johnston has a place at the table in any negotiations that might pave the way for such a facility at the landfill. He said that Johnston's host-community agreement with the state's Central Landfill compensates the town about $5.5 million a year for the presence of the landfill. The amount should be $10 to $12 million, he says. Polisena said he isn't ready to reveal how much money he thinks the town should receive for a new trash-to-energy facility. He has had some talks with Covanta, which is among various waste-to-energy companies interested in doing business in Rhode Island. He said he informed the company's executives that Johnston would want some other perks in addition to an annual infusion of revenue. He said he would want a supply of energy, at reduced rates, for town buildings as well as money for the town's recreational department. "They say they want to be a good neighbor," he said, adding that a mayor from a New Jersey town called him to put in a good word for Covanta. "That's fine," he said. "I have to decide this for myself based on how much money they give us. If they compensate us well, they're going to be great neighbors." 
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