John Lynch's election as New Hampshire's next governor has given hope to activists fighting three big, controversial projects.
During his campaign, Lynch spoke out against plans to expand the Mount Sunapee ski resort, pump water to a bottling plant in Nottingham, and burn construction debris in Hopkinton.
As New Hampshire Public Radio's David Darman reports, activists hope Lynch's election will put an end to these projects, but the new governor's leverage may be limited.
Governor elect Lynch doesn't take office until January, 2005.
But he has already let Department of Environmental Services officials know he wants to discuss all three projects.
Jim Martin is DES's Public Information officer.
i expect over the next weeks and months that they will be sitting down on several occasions to discuss the various issues of the day, the hot topics...i think the bioenergy plant in hopkinton, the sunapee project the mount sunapee project as well as the usa springs large water withdrawal permit.
The new governor and those concerned about Mt Sunapee got a boost this week, when the Department of Resources and Economic Development delayed its decision on a proposed ski area expansion plan.
The private skie resort company that leases Sunapee has asked the state to expand its lease by 175 additional acres.
Opponents charge the expansion would damage the park's natural beauty and unfairly benefit the leaseholders, who have said they would build 200 condominiums adjacent to the new slopes.
Tom Elliot is president of the main opposition group, the "Friends of Mt Sunapee".
He said he sees the delay as a major step toward derailing the project.
well, the governor-elect has pledged numerous times, including the public hearing back in august to stand with us and oppose the expansion. today's announcement is nothing more than a guarantee that he'll have that opportunity to deny it because craig benson apparently will not weigh in before he leaves office.
Expectations of Lynch are equally high in his home town of Hopkinton.
There, some of his neighbors have formed a group to oppose the BioEnergy Company's plan to burn construction and demolition debris at its electric plant.
Right now, the plant is closed.
The owners say burning wood from construction sites and demolished houses would allow it to produce less expensive power.
Opponents have charged that burning debris could cause unhealthy levels of lead and mercury in the town's soil, air, and water.
Ron Lajoie is president of "Residents Environmental Action Committee of Hopkinton", or REACH.
He says he thinks Lynch's election helps his cause.
john lynch came out against bioenergy some time ago and having him in there as governor may very well assist in the fight to keep bioenergy from opening to burn construction and demolition debris.
The state has already approved BioEnergy's plan, and Lynch's options could be limited.
He could ask regulators to re-examine their decision.
But whether he could compel them to is unclear.
The matter is also complicated by court and regulator challenges that are underway.
Meanwhile, company officials say they are committed to going forward with their plan.
Harry Smith is vice president in charge of operations at BioEnergy.
He says he's aware of Governor Elect Lynch's position on his plant's proposed fuel change.
But he says he doesn't expect Lynch to let his campaign promises cloud his judgment when he takes office.
and to the extent that he becomes involved in the bioenergy situation we believe that he will act responsibly and he approach the situation in a manner that will address the concerns of the citizens of hopkinton and also protects the rights of bioenergy to operate
Governor elect Lynch may also find there's little he can do regarding USA Spring's plan to withdraw 307,000 gallons of water a day from wells in Nottingham.
As with BioEnergy, the Department of Environmental Services has already approved the company's plan.
But Nottingham selectmen have appealed the agency's ruling to the state's Supreme Court.
Lawyer Tupper Kinder represents the town of Nottingham.
He says he's glad the governor-elect sympathizes with his clients, but he thinks the court has the upper hand in this situation.
the main thing that's going to happen is that the supreme court is going to decide whether or not des properly carried out its responsibilities under the law. and if the court finds it did not, its decision will guide the agency in what it did wrong and what it has to do differently....
The court may not rule on the USA Springs case for several months.
The situation for BioEnergy in Hopkinton is probably also months away from resolution.
And the Mt Sunapee ski area expansion has been put off until at least January.
Governor elect John Lynch says he's hoping to get involved in all of these situations.
well again, my position on these three issues was clear on the campaign. and again, i would like to have any decision slowed down, so i can weigh in on it after january 6th. ......and so i'd like to see everything else slowed down as well, until i take office.
The governor-elect might be able to affect the timing of decisions on these projects, but his ability to shape the outcomes is less certain.
