Jun. 7--The battle over a massive power plant in eastern Connecticut that would burn construction debris and convert it to energy has shaped up largely along predictable lines.

Supporters say it's a way to cut state residents' dependence on fossil fuels. Organized labor says it needs the hundreds of jobs the plant will bring. Environmentalists say the project would cause irreparable harm to the air and local waters.

But now, as the developers seek critical financing for the 37.5-megawatt Plainfield Renewable Energy plant that developers say will power 30,000 homes, a simmering controversy has flared up.

At the center of it is J. Scott Guilmartin, a Republican State Central Committee leader from Suffield tied to a controversy over a failed renewable energy project in Waterbury years ago. The timing and extent of his role in the new venture is a matter of debate, and is heating up just as the plant's developers are seeking financing for the project.

A 2006 loan agreement with the state limited Guilmartin's role in the Plainfield project, but critics say he has violated the terms of the loan. And the head of a state fund for projects promoting the development of clean energy in Connecticut now says the fund shouldn't be doing business with the company because of Guilmartin. For months, opponents of the project have questioned Guilmartin's role in the Plainfield project. Environmentalists from Clean Water Action, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut and Friends of the Quinebaug River wrote letters to the Clean Energy Fund and other state officials and filed complaints with the Office of State Ethics.

They alleged Guilmartin was playing a major role in the project, including lobbying for the plant at the state Capitol, all the while showing a business card that identifies him as a vice president of PRE.

"That clause in the loan agreement was put in there to avoid this very publicity from happening but it didn't work," said Timothy Bowles, the energy fund board's chairman. "This is exactly what we were trying to avoid."

But Daniel J. Donovan, one of the developers of the plant, said the accusations against Guilmartin are part of a last-ditch effort by a small handful of environmentalists who are losing their fight against the plant.

Activists' claims that the plant will burn toxic debris and harm the nearby Quinebaug River haven't swayed state environmental regulators who put the project through years of vetting. The project has the approvals and permits it needs to be built. And Donovan said he's ready to build.

"This issue with Scott Guilmartin is just a red herring that people are trying to bring up because they can't find anything else," Donovan said.

Avoiding Conflicts

The limits on Guilmartin are related to his tenure on the board of Connecticut Innovations Inc., a quasi-public board that, until a few years ago, made decisions on who would get millions of dollars in grants and loans from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund.

At the time, the energy fund loaned $1.4 million to a company called Connecticut Renewable Energy LLC to build a plant in Waterbury -- a project in which Guilmartin had a financial interest. Guilmartin's former Bloomfield recycling business, Envirocycle LLC, was to be a major supplier of wood fuel for the plant.

To avoid any potential conflict, Guilmartin, who was appointed to the board by then-Gov. John G. Rowland, pledged he would have no contact with anyone from Connecticut Innovations about the project.

But a whistle-blower accused Guilmartin of calling a board member and lobbying for the Waterbury plant. Guilmartin communicated with former Connecticut Innovations Executive Director Victor Budnick and others about the project at least twice -- in 2001 and 2002, according to e-mails obtained by The Courant in 2005.

Guilmartin eventually resigned from the Connecticut Innovations board. Budnick left, too, deciding to take early retirement. He told The Courant he didn't believe Guilmartin had any conflict because he never voted on anything involving Connecticut Renewable Energy LLC.