I agree with columnist Al Norman that “the curse of living in a rural landscape like Wendell is having to endure unreasonable corporate development assaults.” [“Assault and batteries in Wendell,” Recorder, Nov. 15].

We should not let Wendell fight this proposal alone. The electricity from the Wendell lithium battery storage project will not power any home or business in Franklin County — it gets sucked into the electric grid that feeds eastern Massachusetts. It does not produce energy, only buys and stores it when it is off peak at a lower cost and sells it during peak hours at a higher cost. The benefit is solely to the company and does nothing for the consumer. The only thing it produces is profits for big corporations and all western Massachusetts gets is a heavy metal manufacturing facility located on top of an aquifer.

There are no solar panels or solar power generated by this battery system. It’s just another power grab funded by a California-based company with a New Jersey capital investor.

The 1985 state law that allows these companies to seek an exemption from all local zoning in the name of “solar energy” is an affront to local home rule. All citizens in western Massachusetts should oppose this power grab. Wendell should not bear the full cost of this fight. Please email NABWendell@crocker.com and contribute to the fundraising. More of these projects are coming to your town soon.

The proposed 105-megawatt lithium battery project in Wendell is an assault on our entire region. When I served as a Selectboard member in Northfield, we fought off the assault of the Kinder-Morgan pipeline, which offered no energy to our town. The we is Northfield, Franklin County and beyond. It is now time that we come together again and fight this for-profit, against the environment project. It is not a Wendell issue, it is a regional issue and beyond. Please consider how you can join in the fight to protect western Massachusetts against an assault and battery.

Jed Proujansky

Leverett