Mayor's Response to Calpine Selling Land to Spectra

Mayor Hedlund has spoken out about the recent news that Calpine sold land to Spectra. This was his response:

"We had anticipated Algonquin’s purchase of a portion of the North Parcel at some point . What surprised us however was the timing and that the natural gas company would do so without complying with laws every other landowner must follow.

Calpine sold Algonquin a portion of their land without getting local approval to divide or subdivide their land. If Algonquin cannot comply with laws that every landowner must follow—this example only being the latest, what faith do we have in Algonquin’s abilities to comply with laws unique to natural gas companies?

After consultation with the Town’s legal representatives, I have instructed the Towns legal counsel to file an action in Norfolk Superior Court on behalf of the town against Algonquin for its failure to comply with the state’s subdivision control laws. The Town will file that lawsuit in the next few days.

Calpine’s sale to Algonquin is likely to be in breach of several agreements and obligations Calpine has to the town. We will pursue all legal options against Calpine for their failure to live up to those obligations. To begin with, we will notify Calpine in writing that the Town believes Calpine is in breach of their obligations under its license to operate and its 1999 tax break. This is the first step in holding Calpine responsible for its failure to cooperate with us on the development of the North parcel."

FRRACS is pleased that the Administration is taking this very seriously. Calpine was given a very nice tax break for things that they were supposed to have done for the town and for keeping their contractual obligations. As it seems that they have neglected to do many of the things they were charged with doing and have broken their contract with the town, it is imperative that they be brought to task for their negligence.