Injecting civility into biomass debate: Bernardston Unitarian Church provided neutral setting for talk

[ Originally published on: Monday, November 16, 2009 ]

BERNARDSTON -- With debate about the proposed biomass plant for Greenfield sometimes getting rancorous, Eric Wasileski, pastor of the Bernardston Unitarian Church, said he wanted to offer a neutral setting for both sides to have their views heard.

On Sunday, the project's developer, Matthew Wolfe of Madera Energy Inc. in Cambridge and Mark Koyama a spokesman for Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, a group opposing the plant, spoke to and fielded questions from a crowd of about 60 at the church for about 90 minutes.

Having the forum in a church 'brings out our higher nature,' Wasileski said. 'We can have our disagreements in a civil way.

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