Apologies and Next Steps
From:
Lee Martin
Date:
2007 Jun 21 12:49 UTC
Short link
I would like to see the forum continue to operate.This has been very
educational for mebecause I have learned a lot in the past few months. For me,
it was very helpful toread many different viewpoints. I don't think I would
have been able tolisten to both sides of an issue in any other forum.A live
debate would have ended shortly after itstarted and questions would never have
been resolved. The debates on here were many, but they were also good debates
with the addedopportunity to look at supporting documents.And the Audience,
like myself, could chime in at any point to ask questions.
In that same spirit, I'd like to chime in nowwith some questionsthat wouldhelp
me connect some dots. I thinkthey should be addressed by someone other then
Lynn so she can continue to moderate, maybe Catherine would be willing to
answer these questions.
Robin published a document called category 8 incentives. After she posted it in
the base camp files, there wasa posting that said that the PVRECnever published
any documents, thenRobin said that it came right off the PVPC website. In
truth, I had looked at this document many months ago when she first posted in
the Russell Biomass forum. My question is,who made thedocument? Is it still
current and is the PVPC or the PVREC still looking for that funding? Are the
same people who started the committee back then, still on it now? If so who?
Also, Jana posted some information yesterday about a Dwayne Breger of the state
Department of Energy Resources. Is this the same Dwayne Breger that is on the
PVREC when it was developed andwhois on it now?
I'll thank you ahead of time for answeringthe questions.In closing, there have
beengreat discussions on this forum.Who ever thought up the idea, should pat
themselves on the back. I hope it doesn't go anywhere soon.
Lee Martin
Westfield, MA
-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Benander <<email obscured>>
To: Pioneer Valley Base Camp <<email obscured>>
Sent: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 7:46 pm
Subject: [PV-Base Camp] Apologies and Next Steps
would like to apologize for raising questions about people's honesty. In
indsight, I don't believe it was useful to raise my concerns in this manner.
t would have been far more useful if I had picked up the phone and spoken
n-person with people about the things they were doing I found difficult. More
irect communication is useful... and I've been trying to practice that more.
I also sincerely apologize for anything I have done that was not in service to
his process of building more agreement about how to move forward as a region to
ddress the challenges facing us.
I apologize to anyone I might have offended. It was not my intent. It's been a
ifficult situation for all of us. I appreciate the generosity extended from
ll sides as I've attempted to connect and better understand how people have
xperienced these exchanges; what people are concerned about; what's important
o us all.
As the moderator, I also apologize for not moderating the last few weeks of
iscussion. When I became part of the problem, it was difficult for me to find
way to serve as moderator for the forum. With your permission, I'd like to
tep back into that role.
The purpose of this forum is to work together to build a sustainable energy
uture for our region. There are ways we could use this forum to do that.
Do we want to foster a conversation here that could help us build a more
ustainable energy future for our region? Can we identify areas of agreement?
an we find things to support together? Is it time to close the forum down?
We could discuss how to implement the recommendations of the plan.
There are town energy committees that are working to reduce energy use and
upport renewables - taking the goals from the regional level and translating
hem into what towns are prepared to do. This forum could support those
fforts.
There are big siting issues facing any proposed large-scale energy plant in our
egion. I don't believe it's in our region's interest to turn them all away, or
o bankrupt them with legal challenges. And I think we'd all agree that there
re plants that would be unhealthy and unwise to build. As community leaders,
here might be a way we could work together to build more agreement about the
evelopment we will support and encourage.
We clearly have many areas where there is little agreement about how to move
orward. I could list a dozen topics where, given five people, you'll have five
iewpoints spanning a wide spectrum of opinions. I do believe it's important
hat we spend the time to talk with each other, listening carefully to learn
bout how others are seeing things. Only in this way will we build more
greement about how to face the challenges before us.
We could also make agreements with each other that could help us listen well
and
earn from each other. I think people have not felt well listened to or well
eard on any side in recent exchanges. We could all ask more questions of each
ther, demand less, and listen more. Maybe we could make agreements about how
e'll talk with each other and ask us all to talk with people offline if those
greements are not kept.
We could also shut this forum down. I know some people feel very disturbed by
hat has gone on here and others feel it has been useful. Please let me know
hat you'd like to do - either emailing me directly (<email obscured>) or
esponding to this list. We have a potentially valuable resource here. Let me
now what you think would be best to do with it.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
ynn Benander
<email obscured>
13-772-8898
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ynn Benander
helburne Falls
nfo about Lynn Benander: http://forums.e-democracy.org/contacts/lynnbenander
This topic's messages may be viewed at:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/60Fq22Odh4Epu3kfpCLMGb
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