HealthLink members and supporters gathered at the Marblehead home of Jody and Rick Howard last Thursday to discuss the current status of the efforts of current owner Dominion to reduce emissions from the Salem power plant, which has long been a focus of the group’s efforts. Fundraising, too, was on the agenda, to be sure, but the group is anxious to see progress in this, the year of the deadline agreed upon three years ago for the plant to reduce pollutants, which have long been suspected of elevating cancer rates in Salem and nearby communities. Speakers at the event looked back on the progress that has been made and outlined further improvements they would like to see implemented but also paid attention when Salem resident Pat Gozemba, a member of the HealthLink board of directors, discussed the plant’s place in its fiscally challenged home community. HealthLink was formed nearly 11 years ago in order to investigate the connection between the power plant and public health. Now, it stands at a crossroads in its principal battle. “In 2008, Dominion, the current owners of the Salem Harbor power plant, will decide their next steps,” reads the group’s Web site . “To remain in compliance with state regulations, Dominion must either invest significant capital to retrofit the plant with pollution-reducing equipment, replace the plant, shut the plant or sell it, handing off the problem to someone else. Their decisions will have profound ...
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HealthLink members and supporters gathered at the Marblehead home of Jody and Rick Howard last Thursday to discuss the current status of the efforts of current owner Dominion to reduce emissions from the Salem power plant, which has long been a focus of the group’s efforts. Fundraising, too, was on the agenda, to be sure, but the group is anxious to see progress in this, the year of the deadline agreed upon three years ago for the plant to reduce pollutants, which have long been suspected of elevating cancer rates in Salem and nearby communities. Speakers at the event looked back on the progress that has been made and outlined further improvements they would like to see implemented but also paid attention when Salem resident Pat Gozemba, a member of the HealthLink board of directors, discussed the plant’s place in its fiscally challenged home community. HealthLink was formed nearly 11 years ago in order to investigate the connection between the power plant and public health. Now, it stands at a crossroads in its principal battle. “In 2008, Dominion, the current owners of the Salem Harbor power plant, will decide their next steps,” reads the group’s Web site . “To remain in compliance with state regulations, Dominion must either invest significant capital to retrofit the plant with pollution-reducing equipment, replace the plant, shut the plant or sell it, handing off the problem to someone else. Their decisions will have profound ...