Katharine Martin-Savage Former Wiscasset selectman Katharine Martin-Savage supports the Twin River Energy Center.

Since National RE/sources announced plans last July to build the Twin River Energy Center in Wiscasset, there have been many who have publicly voiced their opposition, but relatively few who have publicly offered their support.

The Twin River Energy Center, proposed by parent company National RE/sources of Greenwich, Conn., would be built in the Point East industrial park, on land formerly owned by Maine Yankee. The proposed 700 megawatt plant would use coal and wood biomass to produce synthetic gas to generate electricity and clean diesel fuel. Like Twin River, Point East is a subsidiary of National RE/sources. In addition to the i-park (industrial park) located off the Ferry Road, Point East also includes the Point East Maritime Village, a housing and condominium development that is in its early stages on 33 acres of land off the Birch Point Road.

Katharine Martin-Savage, a former Wiscasset selectman, is one of the few town residents who have consistently supported the gasification plant publicly. But, she says, her support was not immediate.

"I did my homework before I came out in favor of this," she said Monday during an interview.

"I read a lot. I've talked to engineers about this. This makes sense for the whole midcoast region because it will reduce taxes, bring jobs, and bring other businesses to the area." Twin River has said there will be 750 construction jobs during the four years it will take to build it, and 200 permanent jobs once it is operational.

This proposal would boost the state's economy, she said, something that is a critical need, she says, noting that "Maine is 48th out of 50 when it comes to being business friendly."

Savage says Maine's deregulation of electricity has been a flop, as prices have continued to go up. The cost of electricity is always a factor in businesses deciding to relocate, she said.

"Some day I would like to see my electric bill go down," another benefit Twin River has been touting.

"This is cutting edge technology," she says, referring to the gasification process. "It doesn't smell, and it's not noisy."

Asked about the claims raised by opponents of the plant that bringing huge amounts of coal into the state every day would be a dirty business, Savage said, "They have said they will cover everything. The coal will be stored inside - there will be no coal piles outside. The barges or the rail cars [depending on which mode of transportation the company plans to use] will be covered and the conveyor belt that takes the coal into the plant will be covered."

As for carbon dioxide emissions, California has the strictest coal emissions limits, and Twin River will be lower than these limits, she said.

Savage is critical of some of the information that has been disseminated by opponents.

"There's been a lot of misinformation - it's almost like scare tactics," she says.

"This is the twenty-first century," Savage said. "There are two sides to every story. We all have to live here. Everyone is responsible for doing our best to protect the earth. But life often involves compromises."

Asked how she can be sure Twin River and National RE/sources will do what they say they will do, Savage said, "If they said they're going to do it, they're going to do it. National RE/sources is a company with a terrific reputation nationwide."

Asked about company president Joe Cotter's statement at the launching of the Point East industrial park that there would be five to 10 new businesses a year, Savage said, "I'm sure he wishes he had said, ` I env i sion four or five new businesses a year.' To hold him to that is overkill," she said. The park currently has one tenant, Rynel, which relocated here from Boothbay.

"I'm one who takes the long view - too many people today want instant gratification. They want Point East to be full of houses right now," she said, referring to critics of the Point East Maritime Village who say the company is not progressing as fast as it should.

"The company has always said they would build it in stages," she said.

"These people are in business - they're not going to allow their reputation to be maligned."

Asked why she thinks more people haven't been as public in their support as she has been, Savage said, "I think a lot of people have already made up their minds, and they don't want to get involved in the public discussion, or they're not comfortable getting up and speaking at a public meeting."

"I used to hate getting up and speaking in front of people," she says. Her term as a selectman quickly cured her of that, she says.