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Tempers Flare At Town Hall Meeting Over Power Plant Proposal

JESSUP — Emotions and tempers once again ran high at a meeting in Lackawanna County over a controversial power plant proposed for the borough of Jessup. T...

JESSUP -- Emotions and tempers once again ran high at a meeting in Lackawanna County over a controversial power plant proposed for the borough of Jessup.

Thursday night State Representative Frank Farina invited a panel of experts to answer questions.

But this meeting comes just days after Farina himself took fire for comments he posted on-line, defending the project.

“You build this monstrosity, who is going to come into this town, to build to live, who would want to live here?”

The packed, hot room inside the Jessup Hose Company did nothing to help the rising tempers that flared up during this town hall meeting.

It’s the on-going fight over a proposed natural gas-fueled power plant that could go on an industrial site in the borough.

“There`s probably chemicals that I can`t even pronounce and he`s right on that and I need to know what they do,” said a resident.

“My statement is that I`m always working for you and I say that and I will continue to say that,” said Democratic State Representative Frank Farina, who was met with boos and applause.

This meeting was hosted by Farina, who lives in Jessup and says he supports the idea of the plant due to the economic growth.

Farina recently came under fire saying opposition to the plant stems from the region`s “coal cracker mentality.”

“I don`t spent the next 20 years raising my children here so they can go to college, come home and shake my hand and say, 'Dad, I`m moving to Georgia because there`s opportunity there,'” said Farina.

“Six hundred construction jobs that would be created and I can tell you that I have a lot of members. That two and half years or 30 months of employment would be the world to them and their families,” said a supporter of the plant.

Farina invited the panel of experts along with the energy company behind the proposal, Invenergy, to answer questions.

“I guess the question I have is what does it take to be on this panel, who vetted this panel?”

But emotions ran so high, the question and answer session sometimes turned into an angry back and forth with the audience and the panel.

The proposed plant did clear one hurdle Thursday.

The Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission approved recommending Jessup Borough Council to amend a zoning ordinance to be built on the industrial site.

Ultimately Jessup's council will have the final say whether the plant can be built.

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