Though I couldn’t make it, the below was read by Lynn Robinson of Neighbors Against the Gas Plants.

Hello, and good evening!  My name is Meenal Raval.

Though a smallish gas plant, the project we’re resisting is, from an engineering perspective, ideally situated by Wayne Junction. Most people we knew thought nothing of this project when we first learned of it — back in October of 2015.

A team of two (Mitch Chanin and Meenal Raval) researched this over the winter, and by early spring of 2016, we’d begun our monthly attendance at the SEPTA Board meetings, each time questioning this project.

This led to organizing public meetings and looping in many groups in our region — schools, faith groups, environmental groups, neighborhood groups — you’ve all come to the many meetings and hearings questioning and resisting this project. So, thank you all.

We know this plant isn’t needed. That it’s bad for the climate crisis. That it’s bad for public health. And lastly, that it’s a bad financial move. So why has SEPTA dug in their heels and worked to push this project along?

It could be ego, yes. It could also be the gas industry pushing an unwanted, unneeded and addictive substance. Because once a transit agency is dependent on their fracked project, they have a long-term customer — no matter the future cost. A future cost that each of us will be paying — whether as increased fares, increased taxes, or worsened health.

We’ve done our best resisting this project. We expect the L&I Review Board to remember their obligation to consider us, the public interest, when they deliberate on this unnecessary project.

Thank you…

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