Union trades, business owners and emergency services cite jobs, tax revenue and resources

Supporters of the Cumberland Energy Center argued the proposal offers significant economic benefits to Cumberland County and nearby communities.

Jared Turner, a member of International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 45, said plants of this type create stable jobs and pointed to the difficulty of meeting regional energy demand without additional generation. "We might as well get some of the benefits of the plant," he said.

Volunteer EMS and fire representatives, including Darren Hurling (coordinator for county fire and EMS oversight), said the project could provide dedicated long‑term funding to replace aging apparatus and to improve emergency response capacity; Hurling told commissioners that apparatus replacement and training are costly and that the plant's commitments to local first responders would be "a mutual investment." Several small business owners said increased payroll and construction activity would support local commerce and help relieve tax pressure on residents.

Supporters asked the commission to weigh county fiscal needs and long‑term infrastructure investments against the project’s impacts and to press the applicant for binding commitments on local hiring and emergency‑services funding.