Memorial on Three Year Anniversary Date of Kleen Energy Explosion

Three years ago on February 7^th, 2010, an explosion at the Kleen Energy power plant (under construction at the time)  killed six workers. The explosion also injured dozens of others. Some of those injured were never able to return to work in their trades again. A short service was held at the site of the memorial that was created near the now operating plant.

The memorial is a simple bronze plaque bolted onto a rock surrounded by six plantings. It is on the side of River Road a few feet behind the guard rail. There's a tiny turnout across the street but otherwise no parking close by, and there's nowhere to sit near the plaque. The huge industrial works are just around the corner but cannot be heard or seen from the memorial which is located in between the natural scenery of the river and rock cliffs.

About 50 people, mostly union brothers, attended the short service. A union member gave an eloquent remembrance of his lost coworkers and spoke about his love for them and for the trades. State Representative Linda Orange spoke about how she worked with former Governor Jodi Rell after the explosion to codify an executive order into law that would prohibit gas blows. This was designed to prevent this type of explosion from ever happening again. The law was nicknamed Dylan's Law for a child who lost his father in the explosion. (Click here to read the Middletown Press article about that). Similar legislation was later adopted on a national level in the U.S. and in Canada. 

City Hall Memorial Service - 2 year Anniversary Kleen Energy Explosion

Today marks the tragic February 7, 2010, explosion at the Kleen Energy natural gas powered electric generating plant under construction in Middletown, Connecticut, that killed six workers and injured at least 50 others. After the blast the community rallied together to try and cope with the tragedy, fundraisers for the families of the six who died were held shortly after by a variety of organizations and local unions. Citizens home on that day will never forget where they were or what they were doing when they heard the blast miles away. This past August, the CT legislature passed a bill introduced by representative Matt Lesser calling for fines and stricter controls regarding the flushing of gas lines on construction sites.

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My eyes stung from the cleaning solution as I wiped the window sill in my grandfather's bathroom Sunday morning. In the hall my uncle Joe Salafia, Jr. vacuumed. Then he stopped.

"I can't believe its been 2 years." said Joe. I stopped. My grandmother has only been dead a month; I have no idea what he is talking about. It seems like yesterday. I pick up and wipe under her things still in the bathroom, it seems wrong to put them away, after all they have been in the same spots for at least thirty years. We are a sight, me trying to do my best imitation of domestic goddess, and my uncle - a hulking, rough & tat'd construction worker tries his best to daintily move the vacuum around the narrow hall. He is vacuuming the slate foyer, I know because the sixty year old grout is starting to dislodge and it rattles as its is being picked up. All my relatives have this same blue-red slate flooring. As a child, I used to think if you were Sicilian and wanted to live in Middletown you had to have this slate as some mandatory symbol in order to live here.Maybe it was given out to all our immigrant ancestors as they got off the boat since I've noticed in many other local old homes owned by people of my same background. My parents have it in their basement, and my friends on Catherine Street in theirs, and the apartment my cousin rented on Burr Ave. had it. Now I know it wasn't ever a style trend, but a throw back to when friends and neighbors knew each other better, and helped each other; when you were lucky enough to have had something you could give away you did. Together Joe and I are out of place, going through the motions of what we think we should be doing, both guilty for not helping years before.

"Two years since what?" I ask.

"The Explosion." he says.

" You were on that job weren't you?". I ask.

I know the answer. Joe was working up until six days before the accident. He knew all the men. He had been in the area doing exactly what the men were doing. My uncle is a union sheet metal duct builder and foreman and has been for twenty years. He had been laid off from the job; the reasons irrelevant- typical job site politics and scheduling issues like with any job, routine; but it was upsetting because the pay had been particularly good and he enjoyed the men he worked with. He had been told the job would last at least two or three more years, full time work, that was a huge deal. When it ended for him it I knew it stung hard for him, although Joe never said so. I remember my dad calling me to tell me he was laid off, I was sad, but really didn't know what it felt like to be laid off until a few months later when I was laid off for the first time. You feel like a failure, you ask why me, and you struggle to comprehend how the bills will get paid. He is looking for work again, two years later, and the status unemployment has become too familiar.

"I was supposed to work that day. it could have been me. I could have been gone Just think those guys just got up and went to work to do their job that day." Joe is now looking out the window over my shoulder staring off into the trees outside.

My grandmother potty trained me in this bathroom, my cousins, and my uncle and father before me, an odd thought as I wipe down the sill and wall again. My family, like any other, doesn't always get along. We have epic fights. We come and go in each others lives sometimes like strangers and it makes me sad, but we are all equally to blame, equally as stubborn and argumentative. My cousins and grandmother stopped speaking seven years before this; I used to be embaressed by this fact, but now I know no family is perfect. We all do the best we can. Up until two months before she died, my grandfather still did it all, barely able to stand for long, he insisted on no help, and we were too stubborn to insist otherwise. In trying to figure out how to get some sense of normalcy back we both decided to become an improve cleaning crew of sorts. It will never be as spotless as when my grandmother did it years before, I can hear her in my head telling me all the things I am doing wrong; and my uncle wears steel toe boots to vacuum which is good since I can hear him run his feet over, but its working for us and I am happy.

" I'm glad we can do this together. I'm really glad your here." I said.

Kleen Energy Fallout: New Standard “Clear Message To Industry”

Elected officials invoked the memory of six men who died in the Kleen Energy plant explosion at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We can hopefully say that the six men who died last February did not die in vain, and that this tragedy will be the last of its kind,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.

DeLauro helped announce a new standard to regulate the procedure that went horribly wrong in February of 2010, killing the workers and injuring some 50 others.

Highly pressurized natural gas was used to purge pipes at the under-construction plant on River Road. It ignited, and the explosion was felt dozens of miles away. The National Fire Protection Association, a non-profit which provides codes and standards on fire risk, investigated how the ‘gas blow’ was conducted. “What we learned was there really wasn’t a standard for this operation” said Jim Shannon, the NFPA’s president.

The new NFPA standard says flammable gas should not be used to clear pipes of debris. “This is a clear message to the industry that gas blows are inherently unsafe”, said Chemical Safety Board chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso. Other options, such as compressed air or inert nitrogen gas are available.“The tragedy at Kleen Energy was preventable.”

The state of Connecticut has since outlawed the use of flammable gas in such operations, but it is the only state to do so. Congressman Joe Courtney said “As a nation we are shifting towards natural gas”, so it is important that a national standard is set.

Courtney and DeLauro worked with the NFPA to have the standard written and released quickly. The standard does not have the force of law, but NFPA says their standards are often referenced or adapted as laws. Shannon said industry and manufacturers are already citing the standard.

In answer to questions about ultimate accountability for the blast, Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said civil and criminal investigations were still ongoing, and evidence was still being held.

Also in attendance at the city hall press conference were State Representatives Matt Lesser and Joe Serra, and State Senator Paul R. Doyle.

The six men killed were: Raymond Dobratz Jr., 58, Old Saybrook; Peter C. Chepulis, 48, Thomaston; Ronald Crabb, 42, Colchester; Chris Walters, 48, Florissant, Mo; Roy Rushton, Hamilton, Ontario; and Kenneth Haskell, 37, Durham, N.H.

Reflections, One Year Later

You're reading this in the EYE, so chances are you live in or near Middletown, and it's likely that one year ago, you felt or heard a loud boom or crash as the River Road power plant under construction exploded. Six working men lost their lives and dozens were injured in that blast. What makes tragedies such as this one even more difficult to recover from mentally, is the fact that they are preventable and likely could have been avoided. Systemic failures that lead to this breadth of devastation never happen spontaneously. They are the result of a series of actions, judgements, and missteps by multiple responsible parties over a period of time that collectively build and lead to catastrophe. For those directly impacted, the individuals and families that felt the explosion both literally and figuratively and suffered losses as a result, and emergency crews who bore witness amid their swift response, the genesis and scope of the cause will never much matter. Knowledge after the fact can never reverse the reality of acute physical and emotional trauma. February 7th, 2010 is a date that will forever be a milestone marker in time, an ending in many ways and a beginning in many ways also. May the passing of one year since this awful event signify our duty to remember, and the ability of those still in pain to continue forward on the path to finding peace and forgiveness.

Kleen Energy Plant Construction Firms Face $16.6M in Fines

From an OSHA press release

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The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today cited three construction companies and 14 site contractors for 371 alleged workplace safety violations, and proposed $16.6 million dollars in penalties, following an investigation into the causes of February's deadly natural gas explosion at the Kleen Energy Systems LLC power plant construction site in Middletown, Conn. The explosion took the lives of six workers and injured 50 others.

"The millions of dollars in fines levied pale in comparison to the value of the six lives lost and numerous other lives disrupted," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "However, the fines and penalties reflect the gravity and severity of the deadly conditions created by the companies managing the work at the site. No operation and no deadline is worth cutting common sense safety procedures. Workers should not sacrifice their lives for their livelihoods."

On Feb. 7, a gas blow operation was being performed in which flammable natural gas was pumped under high pressure through new fuel gas lines to remove debris. During this operation, an extremely large amount of natural gas was vented into areas where it could not easily disperse. Welding and other work was being performed nearby, creating an extremely dangerous situation. The explosion occurred when the gas contacted an ignition source.

"These employers blatantly disregarded well-known and accepted industry procedures and their own safety guidelines in conducting the gas blow operation in a manner that exposed workers to fire and explosion hazards," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "We see this time and time again across industries when companies deliberately ignore safety precautions in the interest of completing jobs quickly, and workers end up being killed or seriously hurt."

In connection with the explosion, OSHA has cited O&G Industries Inc., the project's general contractor; Keystone Construction and Maintenance Inc., which was in charge of the piping and oversaw the gas blow; and Bluewater Energy Services Inc., the commissioning and startup contractor for the plant.

All three companies were cited for performing the gas blow procedure in a way that exposed workers to fire and explosion hazards, including the configuration of the vent pipes in close proximity to scaffolding and other structures, and the failure to remove non-essential personnel from the area. Citations were also issued for failing to install and use electrical equipment in accordance with its listing and labeling, allowing welding work during the gas blows and failing to train employees to recognize hazards associated with gas blows.

O&G has been issued 119 willful, 17 serious and three other-than-serious citations with penalties totaling $8,347,000. Keystone Construction and Maintenance was issued 94 willful, 16 serious and one other-than-serious citation with fines of $6,686,000. Bluewater Energy Services was issued 12 willful citations and eight serious citations totaling $896,000.

Citations were also given to a number of subcontractors, none of them from Middletown. Go HERE to view all of the citations and recommended fines issued today to each company.

O&G has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed fines to comply, meet with OSHA or contest the findings to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

A "Kleen" Golf Course?

Commentary, by Paul Torop

One lesson from the Kleen Energy fiasco is that once we approve someone’s building plan, we have little control over how it is carried out.

I think that the lesson is applicable to the plan for a golf course.

A local entrepreneur goes to City Hall with a plan to use city land to build a golf course. Our representatives are receptive. They have been talking a lot about long-range planning, but after all reelection occurs on a short-term basis and maybe the project will somehow result in lower taxes for which they can claim credit. The entrepreneur promises to bring in outside money and to use only the most modern methods to make a golf course. The landscape will be minimally carved up and the fertilizers will produce only minimal pollution.

But what if there’s a crunch. What if money runs out and the outside investors on the Board of Directors want to cut corners. The entrepreneur who is now the CEO of the golf course corporation would like to keep his promises, but he is a minority stockholder and he knows he can be replaced. He doesn’t want to do anything to harm the City, but the outside owners look at the golf course as a profit center rather than as an enhancement for the City. Anyway, they never made the promises in the first place.

What if the golf course is an economic failure and the corporation declares bankruptcy and walks away from the land. We’re left with land that will take decades to restore itself to anything like its current state. Maybe it can be used for cross-country skiing until trees grow back.

Grand List: Correction

Earlier today I published the top ten grand list, with a mistake in the calculation for what the tax would be, a corrected table is below.

Property owners are charged a tax on 70% of the assessed value of their property. The "Assessment" in the table, is AFTER that 70% has already been calculated. Thus, the tax which property owners would pay (if the mill rate does not increase) is about 1/3 higher than I had in the earlier post.

The tax paid by the Kleen Energy is more complicated because of the 2003 tax deal.

Taxpayer		Assessment	tax if NO mill rate increase
1) Aetna Life (Including lessor’s)	Insurance	$216,341,550	$5,516,710
2) United Technologies	Manufacturing	$144,349,820	$3,680,920
3) Connecticut Light & Power	Utility	$67,639,270	$1,724,801
4) Middletown Power LLC	Utility	$45,332,710	$1,155,984
5) Kleen Energy Systems LLC	Utility	$44,997,740	It is complicated
6) Northwood Apt Assoc LLC	Apartments	$23,619,040	$602,286
7) Chestnut Hill Apt Assoc LLC	Apartments	$21,765,650	$555,024
8) Fairfield Midtown Brook LP	Apartments	$21,609,110	$551,032
9) Fairfield Midtown Ridge LP	Apartments	$21,337,320	$544,102
10) New Boston Windshire	Apartments	$17,959,480	$457,967

Kleen Energy and Property Tax

According to Damon Braasch, Assessor for the City, the agreement with Kleen Energy is for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), specifically on the power plant. Other parcels of land, and a water plant, are not part of the PILOT agreement.

The assessment given above includes all of the Kleen Energy property. Braasch said that the assessed value of the plant itself (on October 1) was $40.9M, this would normally generate a tax of $1.04M. However, since the agreement calls for "the lesser of $1 million or the amount determined as if this Agreement were not in effect," the tax will be $1M. Kleen will pay a normal tax rate on the remaining $4.1M assessment, about $100,000.

Just to make things even more complicated, property owners also pay tax to one of the three fire districts. As there is no apparent agreement with the South Fire District, Kleen would pay full fire taxes on the entire assessment. A couple of years ago the South District mill rate was 3.4, this would yield about $150,000 in taxes from Kleen Energy for the South District.

USGS: Kleen Explosion of "Moderate" Intensity, But Left No Seismic Signature

The United State Geological Survey has mapped the locations where Sunday's blast was heard and felt. Their results confirm anecdotal reports that the sound did not travel uniformly from the site of the explosion, and provide an estimate of the intensity of the blast itself.

The 259 responses given to the USGS over the internet show that to the north, in Cromwell, residents did not even feel the blast, while to other directions, residents as far as 20 miles away felt the blast. The terrain and weather conditions may have strongly attenuated the blast shock wave in some directions.

Community surveys are used by the USGS to measure the effects, or intensity, of an earthquake. Intensity is a qualitative measure distinct from the magnitude of an earthquake, which is expressed in the quantitative Richter scale. Two earthquakes of the same magnitude, but happening at different depths or in different types of soil, can have similar magnitudes (Richter scale) but very different intensities.

The Kleen explosion registered as a IV (moderate) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale, which goes from I to XII. Surprisingly, the blast did not register at all on the earthquake monitoring seismograph at Yale, giving a 0.0 on the Richter scale, as reported in The Day, by Judy Benson. By contrast, an earthquake felt in Illinois on Wednesday, with the same Mercalli Intensity of IV, had a magnitude of 3.8.

Thus, the shock wave seems to have traveled great distances in the air, but not at all in the ground, perhaps because of the nature of the explosion, and perhaps due to the nature of the rock on which the Kleen Plant is located.

No damage to Aquifers Expected.

I asked Peter Patton, a hydrologist at Wesleyan, whether the blast might have caused any impact on either the wells in the area or the large aquifer which the city taps for much of our drinking water. He said that even if the explosion had shaken the ground enough to register on seismographs, it still would not have damaged the aquifers, which are recharged from below the Connecticut River. In fact, he said that surface explosions are sometimes used to increase the recharge rate for aquifers, by opening up cracks for water to seep through bedrock.

From 2002 and 2003: Kleen Energy

Every week or so I look in the archives of various newspapers for an article about Middletown that might illustrate something about daily life in former times, or provide a contemporary account of an event with historical significance. While researching the archives for this Sunday's "This Date in History" Middletown Eye feature, I came across about a dozen articles that seemed of interest in light of the accident at Kleen Energy. I have chosen three to reproduce, all were written by Josh Kovner, who is this week providing excellent coverage of the accident.

The first article is the earliest reporting I can find about the Kleen Energy proposal. The second covers the Common Council approval of the tax abatement given to Kleen Energy in early 2003, and the third article is about the early days of the ultimately successful reelection campaign of Mayor Domenique Thornton later that same year.

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1. This article was published in the Hartford Courant, on January 15th, 2002. It was written by Josh Kovner.
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Concern Eases Over Threat to Maromas

Environmentalists were nervous when trash hauler Phil Armetta last year proposed a $200 million energy plant for the Maromas section -- a treasured tract of mostly undeveloped forest and quarries that slopes to the Connecticut River.

They were enraged when five-term Democratic State Rep. Joseph Serra in June obtained a waiver of a more in-depth environmental study of a separate Maromas project -- the construction of a sewer line under River Road. The line would extend to the Pratt & Whitney manufacturing plant, but could also open up a wider portion of Maromas to development.

Much of the concern revolved around the two key figures. People wondered about Armetta's background. The founder of Dainty Rubbish Service Inc., one of central Connecticut's largest trash haulers, had been assessed penalties totaling nearly $355,000 by the state in 1995 for violations at his Newfield Street landfill. And when Serra last summer was able to tack the waiver on to the bottom of an unrelated House bill, some environmentalists thought an unsavory alliance was taking shape between Armetta and Serra, particularly because the sewer line would benefit Armetta's energy plant.

Records of Serra's successful 2000 state House campaign show he received $2,150 in contributions -- or 6 percent of the $33,748 total raised -- from construction professionals and companies who were, or would be, associated with Armetta's power-plant project.

For example, Armetta, his point man on the energy project, William Corvo, his future partner, O&G Industries Inc., and his future architect and engineer on the proposed project all contributed, as did the consulting engineering firm on the sewer project.

"For a $250 contribution, I'd go for a waiver that I wouldn't have sought otherwise? C'mon," said Serra, who dismissed any notion that he was influenced by the contributions. He noted that the waiver had the support of Middletown Mayor Domenique Thornton and local business leaders, and that House leaders could have blocked the measure, had they seen fit.

Serra said the line is important to Pratt & Whitney, which can scrap its aging water treatment plant if it can tie into the sewer. Without the waiver, said Serra, the project could have been delayed for months.

Armetta and Corvo, a former Republican councilman in Middletown and part of Armetta's Kleen Energy, which was formed in the summer, said their contributions were simply meant to show support for an effective politician. They said they wanted nothing, and received nothing, in return.

Corvo, a power-plant consultant, is a longtime friend and political supporter of Serra's, and several of the other Armetta associates who made donations are perennial contributors who supported other candidates as well.

Some of the edginess over Armetta and Serra's involvement remains, but the environmentalists' primary fear -- that a green light had been given for unrestrained development of Maromas -- has eased considerably. The state on Dec. 21 granted preliminary approval to the $8.8 million, state-funded sewer line, in large part because the city has placed limits on the size of the area to be served by it. The area includes space for recreation, possibly a golf course.

State officials overseeing the sewer construction proposal said they're confident that the project meets environmental standards. They cited two reasons: Before the Serra-led waiver, some of the environmental concerns about the sewer line's impact had been addressed by the state, and the city still had to clear all the regulatory hurdles before getting preliminary approval for the sewer line.

All state-funded projects are required by law to undergo an environmental review, unless the process is waived or shortened by the legislature. Such waivers are becoming increasingly common, and lawmakers and environmentalists agree that the process should be streamlined.

Armetta's proposal for a gas-fired electric plant, set for a public hearing Wednesday night before the Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission, comes at a time when state regulators -- who ultimately must approve the proposal -- are encouraging the construction of the more efficient gas-fired plants to gradually replace dirtier, oil-burning plants.

One of those plants, a member of the state's so-called sooty six list of older facilities, is off River Road on the banks of the Connecticut River, not far from the proposed site of Armetta's plant.

Environmentalist David Titus, who was initially troubled by the two development proposals, said he now believes both are sound.

Titus, a Wesleyan University professor and president of the Mattabeseck Audubon Society, said he was particularly heartened by Armetta's decision to build the plant on the most degraded portion of Armetta's 185-acre slice of Maromas. It's the former site of a feldspar mining operation that left the land deeply gouged and littered with piles of shredded rock.

For his part, Armetta says he is dogged by certain perceptions.

"Because I'm in the garbage business, people think that whatever I'm doing is going to be dirty or dangerous. But the opposite is true," said Armetta. When he was penalized $103,000 and directed to spend another $252,000 on an environmental project to settle the 1995 violations, the size of the assessment branded him as one of the state's largest polluters of that year -- a tag he adamantly rejects. Records show no significant violations before or since the 1995 case.

Armetta also acknowledges "lucking out" at the prospect of tying into the proposed sewer line, but said he had nothing to do with Serra's pursuit of a waiver and was unaware when he bought the Maromas property in 1999 that a sewer line would be built.

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2. This article was published on April 9, 2003, it was written by Josh Kovner.
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Armetta Defends Tax Deal; The Agreement is Designed to Allow Armetta's Partnership to Line up Investors, Secure Financing and Ultimately Sell Electricity More Cheaply

Phil Armetta, who wants to build a $220 million power plant in the Maromas section, defended a tax deal approved Tuesday by the common council, saying the gradually increasing payments help him now and the city later.

"We're the only dance hall that's open," Armetta, owner of Dainty Rubbish Inc., said of the scorched, post-Enron landscape that has eliminated most of the rest of the power-plant proposals in New England. "And we need this agreement to be able to dance."

He meant that the 25-year deal, which will start with Kleen Energy LLC paying the city $922,000 annually in the first several years and culminate with yearly payments around $2.5 million, is designed to allow the Armetta-led partnership to line up investors, secure financing and sell electricity more cheaply.

That, he said, would help Kleen Energy hold up its end of the deal. Construction on the power plant, planned for the site of an old feldspar mine high on a hill above the Connecticut River, would begin next year and take a year to complete.

William Corvo, a former city councilman and a partner in Kleen Energy, told the council members Tuesday night that they should not confuse the agreement with a tax abatement. He said the city would be getting all of the taxes it was owed -- only spread out over a 25- year period. The state legislature approved these "tax stabilization" agreements in 2001 to encourage the building of new, clean-running power plants. Under the new rules, cities and power plants are able to set mutually beneficial tax and assessment rates.

The Democrat-controlled common council passed the agreement by a 10-2 vote, with Republicans Earle Roberts and Francis Patnaude dissenting. Roberts thought it outrageous that no representative of Robinson & Cole, the Hartford law firm to which the city paid $15,000 to negotiate the deal, showed up Tuesday night to explain it.

That job fell exclusively to Corvo and Kleen Energy's lawyer, Marjorie Wilder of Pullman & Comely.

"This was almost surreal, with Bill Corvo vouching for the work of the city's lawyer," said David Bowers, a former candidate for state representative in Middletown's 33rd District. "Where has the city been? Who's on my side as a resident? Should it have fallen to the development team, the team getting the deal, to present all the facts?"

Democrat Gerald Daley acknowledged that it was a mistake for some council members to have engaged Corvo and Wilder in a dialogue after the public portion of the meeting had ended, but he said that should not take any of the gloss off the tax agreement. He noted that under the deal, payments to the city would keep rising even as the equipment at the power plant lost value, instead of the other way around.

In the absence of anyone from Robinson & Cole, Democrat Ronald Klattenberg asked Mayor Domenique Thornton if the law firm stood behind the agreement.

"Yes, they believe it's fair," said Thornton, adding that she didn't ask a lawyer from the firm to come Tuesday night because she didn't want to add to the legal bill.

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3. The article below was published in the Hartford Courant on July 15, 2003, it was written by Josh Kovner.
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Mayor Gets a Head Start; Domenique Thornton, in Her Fourth Bid for Mayor Has Raised More Money Than Her Republican Opponent Sebastian Giuliano

Mayor Domenique Thornton has jumped out to a huge fund-raising lead over her opponent, collecting nearly $12,000 in campaign donations through July 3, compared to $400 raised by Republican Sebastian Giuliano.

Giuliano has not begun to solicit funds, opting instead to wait until after his party's nominating convention next Monday. The first of his six planned fund-raisers is tentatively set for July 28.

"Seb wanted to wait until the Republican slate was in place; he wants to work and win as a team, not as an individual," Giuliano's campaign manager, James Marhevka, said Monday.

Thornton, the three-term Democrat, logged her first fund-raiser on May 4 and her second on June 23.

"It's never pleasant asking for money, but I got a sense from the people in the room that they're excited about what's happening in Middletown, and it inspires me to want to continue the work I'm doing," Thornton said in an interview earlier this month.

Thornton raised $11,790 from April 4 to July 3, according to her latest campaign finance report, filed with the city clerk. About 44 percent of the donations came from people and political committees based outside Middletown.

Her top contributor was Robinson & Cole, a Hartford-based law firm representing the city in negotiations with Kleen Energy LLC, a partnership headed by developer Phil Armetta that is gearing up to build a $200 million power plant in the Maromas section.

Robinson & Cole's statewide political action committee donated the maximum of $1,000 and Robinson & Cole LLP -- the firm itself -- contributed $250.

Armetta and Associates LLC, based in Middletown, donated $250, and the two Wallingford-based principals of an engineering firm that is doing work on Kleen Energy's project contributed a total of $190, and the company contributed an additional $250.

Thornton received $160 in contributions from two associates of the Hamden-based architectural firm of DeCarlo & Doll, which won the contract to design the new $79.9 million Middletown High School. The company's president, Raymond M. Roberts of Wallingford, contributed $85 and architect Dennis J. Rioux of Cheshire contributed $75.

Three members of the Milardo family, perennial supporters of Thornton, contributed a total of $575. Michael Milardo, supervisor of the city's 911 center, donated $400; his brother, Michael, supervisor of the alarm division, donated $90; and Josephine Milardo donated $85.

Thornton's largest individual donation of $1,000 came from Robert S. Marino of Middletown, president of Marino Brothers of New England Inc., a highway and street contractor. The company also made a contribution of $250.

Mayor Giuliano to Hold Press Conference

Mayor Giuliano will hold a press conference at 5PM to address the Kleen Energy explosion, at the Rushford Center. The Mayor's first responder team will be there with the mayor.

In an earlier press release, the Mayor's office said that he was on the scene, and that current efforts were towards search and recovery.

The Mayor assures the public that there is no public health threat. Health Department officials and State DEP are on site and there is no issue with air quality or public drinking water supplies. The mayor has been assured that this is an industrial accident. No terrorism is suspected. The public is asked to stay away from the area to allow emergency access vehicles to proceed expeditiously.

Kleen Energy Power Plant Was Ahead of Schedule

According to the latest update, provided on January 15th to the Connecticut Siting Council, the Kleen Energy Power plant was estimated to be 93% completed. This was slightly ahead of their anticipated schedule, "It is currently estimated that the project will come on line in the summer of 2010..."

The project's transformers and switchyard building were complete, and operations of these were transferred to Connecticut Light and Power.

The picture on the right, and first one below are from the Kleen Energy report. The second picture below is from The Middletown Press, taken after the explosion.

Rollin' On the River

There was a time when the Connecticut River was thick with commerce, but except for the occasional oil barge, the watery highway doesn't carry the traffic it once did.

This morning, turbine components for Kleen Energy were unloaded from a huge barge docked just South of Harbor Park.

Planning and Zoning elects a secretary and discusses bylaws

The Planning and Zoning Commission only scheduled one public hearing* for their meeting last Wednesday night, so that they could spend time discussing their bylaws and other commission affairs.  Commissioners again failed to elect a Chair, with neither Barbara Plum nor Deborah Kleckowski garnering the necessary 5 votes on the 7-member Commission. However, in a minor breakthrough, they did elect James Fortuna for another term as secretary.

Two commissioners suggested changes to the existing P&Z bylaws.  Kleckowski's suggestion that the bylaws stipulate that all meetings must end by 11PM, unless specifically voted otherwise, was  favorably received by other commissioners.  Catherine Johnson suggested that site visits be mandated, that Robert's Rules of Order be followed, that there be an annual calendar for elections and bylaws discussion, and that no one could be an officer on the Commission if they miss more than 20% of the Commission meetings.  Commissioner Pelletier objected to the last suggestion, saying that the place to bar someone from being an officer was during the election of officers.  Johnson also suggested holding annual joint meetings with other commissions, including Public Works, Zoning Board of Appeals, Redevelopment, and Design Review and Preservation.  

The suggested changes to the bylaws will be voted on at a future P&Z meeting. 

*The public hearing was about an oil pipeline to run from the Arrigoni Bridge to the Kleen Energy facility on River Road. As reported by Sloan Brewster in The Middletown Press (I was not present for this), many residents spoke against the pipeline during the public hearing. The commissioners voted 5-1, with one abstention, to approve the pipeline as presented.

Rolling the turbines up River Road

I happened to be at WMRD to appear on The Best of the Valley Shore and to talk Don DeCesare about the Middletown Eye.

When I got to River Road, it was blocked off to allow passage for one of the giant turbines heading toward Kleen Energy to pass. The turbines, which came in on the River, are transported on what to amounts to a 60-wheeler to distribute the weight properly.

Inland Wetlands Tables Buckeye Pipeline

In a very long Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission meeting Wednesday night in Council Chambers, the commission considered testimony during public hearings on the Buckeye Pipeline and the Algonquin Pipelines which are proposed to deliver low sulfur fuel oil, and gas, respectively, to the Kleen Energy plant in Maromas.

After three and a half hours of testimony from neighbors of the Kleen energy plant and the proposed pipeline, and representatives from Kleen Energy and Buckeye, the commission voted to table further discussion until more information about wetland crossings in the plan could be obtained.

During testimony, Earle Roberts, a neighbor to the plant, and a member of the Common Council asked several questions and suggested alternate routing. Steve Shorey, of Buckeye, and William Corvo, of Kleen Energy, explained the route selection process, and defended the reliability of the pipeline, the methodology of laying the pipe, and the route itself.

The plan calls for horizontal, directional drilling to place the 12 inch diameter pipeline under some wetlands crossings, such as Sumner Brook, and to excavate a traditional trench for the wetland in question which is on property off Bow Lane.

During the testimony, board chair, Joseph Carta, demonstrated some defensiveness about the process of the application, saying that the Common Council should not have heard testimony, or voted on the pipeline, until the Inland Wetlands commission had held its hearing and made recommendations and decisions. Mr. Corvo explained that the discussions with the Common council were relative to easements, not wetlands, and that their approval was also subject to IWWC approval.

In other business, the panel voted to approve an application to build a gas pipeline to the Kleen Energy plant from the NRG plant within the existing paved roadway on River Road.

They also voted to extend an application by Glenn Russo, previously granted, for a multi-family housing complex on Newfield Street. They also approved an application by Xavier High School to build tennis courts off Randolf Road.

In a final bit of new business, the commission examined a wetlands violation at an apartment complex on Highland Avenue owned by Ted & Carl Charton, where the owners reinforced a stream bank without a permit. The commission decided against punitive action, but directed staff to notify the owners of the violation, and to issue a warning that any further activity in the wetland requires city approval.

Council Takes Up Kleen Energy

(Buckeye Pipeline's Steve Shorey testifies while Kleen Energy's William Corvo listens.)

In normal procedure, the Common Council approval of the Buckeye Pipeline, which will carry low sulfur fuel oil to the Kleen Energy plant, would happen after the plans were reviewed by the Planning and Zoning and Wetlands Commissions.

However, those reviews were postponed due to inclement weather, and representatives from Kleen Energy and Buckeye, testified before the Common Council about the plan to build a pipeline from just North of the Arrigoni Bridge, to the Kleen Energy plant in Maromas.

Details of the plan as presented to the Economic Development Commission can be found here.

Kleen Energy project manager William Corvo explained that the pipeline would operate under low pressure, and would fill storage tanks at the plant where Kleen Energy would only burn oil in the case where there was a problem with burning natural gas. He explained that Kleen Energy and Buckeye extended the pipeline 1.7 miles to avoid an important Middletown acquifer.

Bow Lane neighbors, who testified that the pipeline would be build adjacent to their property, explained that they were worried about contamination of their wells.

Jack Herczakowski, a Bow Lane resident, explained to the Council that he was worried about his water and septic systems.

"I think the Council should allow Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands to comment before you make your decision," he said.

"The plant was sold as ne plus ultra clean energy" neighbor Stan Dapkus testified. "And now it looks as if it's going to be run as an oil plant."

Corvo, and Buckeye engineer Steve Shorey, explained that the plant would burn natural gas as planned, and that the oil line was necessary to keep the plant online, and available to the grid, in the case that natural gas was not available to be used as fuel.

Council members noted the concerns of neighbors, and asked about alternate routes, but ultimately supported the pipeline in the understanding that if Planning and Zoning made alterations in the route, that it would have to be considered by the council again, if those alterations created changes in the contract with the city.

Inland Wetlands and Watercourses to take up Oil and Gas Pipelines

Tonight (Wednesday December 3) the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency will take up applications for the construction of oil and natural gas pipelines to fuel turbine generators at the Kleen Energy plant on River Road.

The gas pipeline, being built by NikkiLabella and Algonquin Gas Transmission is slated to run beneath existing paved roadway, some of which cross wetlands.

A public hearing will be held on a 12-inch, ultra-low-sulfur diesel pipeline which will run from the river's edge, under the Arrigoni Bridge, then under roadways including DeKoven Drive, River Road, Eastern Road and Bow Lane. It will then cross open space between Bow Lane and River Road, where it will cross defined wetlands (see photo of map). The proposed pipeline will be built by Buckeye Partners LP.

Kleen Energy has stated that it will run its turbine generators with natural gas unless natural gas is unavailable or uneconomic, at which time it would burn low-sulfur diesel.

The Inland Wetlands meeting begins at 7 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall. The proceedings will be televised on the local educational access channel on Comcast.

Decisions next month on tonight's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Meeting

Two potentially hot topics were forwarded for decisions next month at tonight's meeting of the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency Meeting.

Discussion of a proposed pipeline for low-sulfur diesel fuel for the under-construction Kleen Energy Plant on River Road in Maromas was forwarded for action next month at the request of Kleen Energy. But the proposal to move action until December couldn't discourage more than one agency member from questionning the lack of details in Kleen Energy's application, and the need to build a pipeline when, under the original proposal, low-sulfur burning would only occur on less than two dozen days per year.

The pipeline would extend from just Northwest of the Arrigoni Bridge, along the Connecticut River, through wetlands, and to the plant down river.

In a separate matter, an ongoing neighbor against neighbor land use and zoning dispute continued at the IWW Agency meeting tonight.

Ed and Andrea Hills who run a horse farm on Brooks Road had been issued a show cause order to halt backfill of an area which has been declared wetlands. Construction of a horse arena had previously been excepted from wetland application because the building was 50 feet from affected wetlands. The current backfilling operation encroaches on the wetland area. Neighbors Stephanie and Ron Borrelli, represented by their attorney, requested "intervener" status in the matter, and offered testimony that the Hills had allegedly filled wetlands, avoided a required application for wetlands encroachment, and may have used road millings for fill. The Hills' attorney disputed the charges.

In the end, the Agency continued enforcement of the show cause, requiring the Hills to install staked hay bales and silt fences to prevent contamination of waterways. They were also ordered the Hills to avoid animal traffic in the affected area.

The Agency decided to rule on encroachment on wetlands in the case next month after all evidence presented this evening was examined, and agency members had a chance to tour the site.

More gas turbines on the river

It looks like the NRG power plant on the Connecticut River, which was listed as one of the "sooty-six" power plants for creating pollution by burning high-sulfur coal and oil, will not be mothballed, as once predicted, when the nearby Kleen Energy gas turbine plant is built.

According to the Hartford Courant, the DPUC has approved four additional gas turbine generators which will be built on the NRG site for production of electricity during peak usage periods.

The construction will be a huge tax benefit for Middletown.

The turbines will be gas-fired, and thereby clean-burning, but no figures are immediately available about how additional gas turbines on the river will affect water usage, or air quality.

Look for updates as more information becomes available.