Dozens of concerned residents turned out at Kent Town Hall last night to hear from state environmental officials about the under-construction Cricket Valley Energy Center in Dover Plains.  The natural gas-fired power plant is slated to come online in 2020 and residents want baseline air quality monitoring before then. 

DEEP officials said monitoring stations are too expensive to add in the region and models that led to New York permits didn't show that there would be an impact in northwestern Connecticut.  DEEP assistant director of air engineering and enforcement Jaimeson Sinclair says reports will be filed by Cricket Valley, recording their emissions to see if anything exceeds standards. If they do, he says residents or the state can file a lawsuit against the company or New York. 

While DEEP Commissioner Robert Klee said it's out of Connecticut's hands, did conceded that the state would change its policy to post public notices DEEP receives about projects happening in other states but affect Connecticut.