By: Lydia Crawley The Parsons Advocate
Town of Davis Mayor Al Tomson has publicly come out to announce he has changed his position on the Fundamental Data power plant project slated for construction between the Town of Davis and the City of Thomas. Tomson had initially supported placing a power plant facility for the project near the Mettiki Coal mine within the Tucker County line. In a written statement released online and to the media, Tomson no longer supports the facility anywhere within the confines of Tucker County.
“After thorough consideration, I have revised my position on the Fundamental Data proposed power plant,” Tomson writes. “I no longer support construction of the facility at its proposed location or anywhere within Tucker County.”
Tomson cites his change of stance to extensive research on the matter. Tomson said he has consulted with industry experts, scientists, university professors and power plant operators. According to Tomson his research has led to the conclusion that the project poses significant risk to the health of the residents of Tucker County, as well as the integrity of the environment and quality of life of the community.
“Over the past several weeks, I have engaged in extensive research, consulting with industry experts, environmental scientists, university professors, and experienced power plant operators. Despite significant redactions in the air quality permit, the consensus among these experts is clear: this project poses serious risks to public health, the integrity of our natural environment, and the overall quality of life in our community,” Tomson writes.
Tomson said that his decision was clear. Tomson said he chose the health and safety of the community over what he perceived as limited benefits of jobs and tax revenue.
“Ultimately, this is a decision between the health of our community, preserving the way of life we value, versus pursuing limited economic benefits in the form of jobs and tax revenue. Given these options, the choice is clear—I choose to protect our health, our environment, and our future,” Tomson writes.
