Bennington Banner News
The defendants of a lawsuit that was filed by the late Billy Scully’s Hydroelectric Company Carbon Zero are asking the court to strike a section of the action that was seeking punitive damages. The damages where allegedly caused by three companies over a riverbed drilling accident that happened in 2018. This churned up riverbed silt at the hydro plants water intake system, posing a threat to the equipment. Therefore, the plant was shut down until the riverbed settled and the equipment had been checked.
The three companies involved were trying to extend Bennington water system lines to properties that had wells contaminated by PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). Billy Scully was calling to have the site inspected for damages to the equipment caused by the silt being churned up and damage due to the system being un-operational during the freezing winter. Billy Scully estimated the cost of repairs to his system would range around $1.2 million.
The plant never reopened and the lawsuit is seeking justice in the form of punitive damages and compensation. The defendants would like to have these punitive damages revoked. The two parties continue to disagree over which party is responsible for the permanent closure of Billy Scully’s Hydroelectric Company Carbon Zero.