Filmmaker:
How do you feel about the view of the power plant in your backyard?
Paul Stinson: Up until last summer, we tolerated
it…You never get lost, you can always find your way…by
and large, it is a pretty sight, when the blue and brown [emissions]
are not coming out.
Filmmaker: How do you feel about
all of the media attention Cheshire has been receiving?
Paul Stinson: There is an old country saying
that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The louder we yell and
the more media attention we can attract and the more honest, human
feelings we can display, the better off we are as a group, because
no one listens to individuals, they listen to a group.
Filmmaker: After a discussion
about a CAP meeting in which an OEPA representative attended…
Paul Stinson: The byword from the Ohio EPA is
the same as what AEP says, “We are not exceeding standards.”.
They will not say that there are not pollutants coming out, but
that they are following the laws.
Filmmaker: Do you think AEP is
starting a trend here by buying out the village?
Paul Stinson: The buyout itself is not solving
any of the problems…there are lots of holes in their [AEP’s]
rationale. They want the property for expansion, but they already
own more than their share…The feelings of all those on the
outside and now people inside feel that it is hush money. It is
easier to buy the village for $20 million, then to face 90 families
in court for $120 million a piece.
Filmmaker:
What would you like for people to understand about your organization,
CAP?
Paul Stinson: The only thing we really want people
to understand is that our fight is not with our neighbors, the
people who live in the village, or the power plant; it is with
the pollutants the power plant is producing. A lot of people think
we are mad because we weren’t included in the buyout and
that we are not getting any money…It’s not a matter
of the money, it’s a matter of principle, even if AEP offers
us a lot of money, they will still be polluting. |
