SOMERSET, Mass. -- A coordinator for the group that staged a large protest at the Brayton Point Power Station on Sunday said 27 of the 44 people arrested have been released on personal recognizance and ordered to appear in court on trespassing charges beginning Wednesday.
As many as 400 people marched to protest the pollution that the coal- and natural-gas-burning power plant emits. The group, a coalition of organizations from throughout New England, urged Governor Deval Patrick to shut down the facility.
The coordinator, Alli Welton, said 44 people were arrested at the event, all taken into custody after they lined up in groups of five or six and slipped under yellow tape that marked the boundary of the road leading to the plant. The arrests were orderly, and supporters applauded as they were taken away. None of the protesters got close to the front gate. (They were ultimately processed at the National Guard Armory on Dwelly Street in Fall River.)
The remaining protesters then marched back up Brayton Point Road to a staging area at a Somerset ball field. The march to and from the plant, and a large police presence from around the region, prevented many local residents from getting to their homes.
Since 2005, the plant has been owned by Dominion Resources Inc. of Richmond, Va. Earlier this year, the company announced it was selling Brayton Point and two other power plants to a private equity firm, Energy Capital Partners. That sale is awaiting federal approval.
Dominion spokesman Richard Zuercher released a statement saying that the plant "is one of the cleanest electricity generators of its kind" and that "More than $1 billion has been invested in recent years to reduce its impact on the air and water significantly."