ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland City Council gave final approval Monday night to a six-month moratorium on large-scale energy plants.
Supporters said the moratorium will allow the creation of proposed regulations on issues such as air emissions and noise standards, which then would go before the City Council.
The planning board and energy advisory committee will work with technical experts to come up with regulations. The planning board is directed to submit ordinance recommendations to the City Council by March 4.
Councilor Larry Pritchett said that the timeline is realistic.
The council amended the moratorium to specify that recommendations on technical experts to work with city boards would come from the energy committee rather than from the city manager. The council also voted unanimously to spend up to $20,000 for technical support.
Resident Amy Files, an opponent of the power plant, asked that the council not allow the manager to have full authority to select technical experts since he has been a supporter of the gas plant.
City Manager James Chaousis said he had no problem with the change, pointing out that he takes direction from the City Council.
Councilor Valli Geiger said she does not believe that the manager was biased.
The city began considering a moratorium in response to Rockland Energy Center’s plans to build a 35-megawatt natural-gas-fired plant, which would generate electricity and steam. Rockland Energy had proposed building a 68-megawatt plant on city property but in December announced it had found private property.
Voting for the moratorium were councilors William Jillson, Geiger and Pritchett. Voting against the moratorium were Mayor Louise MacLellan-Ruf and Councilor William Clayton.
Most residents who spoke urged the council to adopt the moratorium.
Files said that the moratorium would not stop businesses from coming into Rockland, listing developments in the city such as a five-story boutique hotel and a five-story arts building.
Clayton said while those projects were approved, the process took a long time and developers stuck with it because they are local people. He said he was concerned that the moratorium could inhibit business development.
Resident Chris Whytock, a firefighter, said the moratorium was not a good idea and urged the council to reject it. The local firefighters association sent a letter to the council in December saying that Rockland was losing development to other communities and with it the revenue that can support services.
Last month, Rockland Energy Center LLC partner Evan Coleman said if the council approved the moratorium, the company would stop spending money on developing the project in Rockland. He said the company planned to submit a plan in February for the plant.