Arlington Chamber of Commerce Chairman Philip Keating says now is the time to “review and debate” Arlington County’s proposed community energy plan.
In a letter to members, Keating says the chamber’s government affairs and green business committees will be discussing the plan in the coming weeks. In the meantime, he had the following to say about the still-developing plan:
It is great to have goals, but as the expression goes “the devil is in the details,” and in the case of the draft energy plan, essential details are not being addressed at this stage … The Arlington Chamber is concerned by the unstated issues of cost, decisions of who will bear the cost, marketplace viability of the goals in the time frames contemplated, impact on the rights of property owners, and enforcement. In cases where actions impact the public good, it is the position of the Arlington Chamber that the general public should bear the expense, not just the business community.
The county is planning a public forum on the energy plan this week. The forum will be held from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday at Wakefield High School.