the myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit” –Dr. Noll

A followup to his presentation at LCC last Tuesday. -jsq
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:59:50 -0500
From: noll_family
To: apaulk@lowndescounty.com, jevans@lowndescounty.com, rraines@lowndescounty.com, cpowell@lowndescounty.com
CC: kay.harris, “John S. Quarterman”
Subject: Last Night’s Meeting

Dear Chairman Paulk and Commissioners.

Thanks for providing my wife and I and others opposed to the biomass plant the opportunity to address you last night. As a follow-up to last night’s meeting, let me share some thoughts with you, including reflections on a comment made about other “biomass incinerators” in our county and the continuing myth that biomass constitutes a “health benefit”:

  1. PCA and ADM indeed have a “biomass incinerator” and both are ranked as top polluters in the county. For all practical purposes everyone who has a fireplace has a “biomass incinerator”, but let’s not loose sight of some important points:

    PCA and ADM are existing businesses employing hundreds of people. Their “biomass incinerator” is supplementing their energy needs, getting rid off “waste”, and is not meant to provide electricity for the community at large. Particularly the pollution PCA has created in the past has been enormous, but improvements have been made to the filtering technology over the years, as the EPA enforced new regulations. WACE has been aware of these “biomass incinerators” for some time, but we did not touch upon the topic to avoid speculations that we might also “attack” these businesses. We have no intention of doing so. These are established businesses, employing hundreds of people.

  2. WACE is opposed, though, to the proposed Wiregrass Power biomass incinerator. Why? Lowndes County already has air quality issues and is ranked as one of the most polluted counties in Georgia:

    http://scorecard.goodguide.com/community/index.tcl?zip_code=31602&fips_county_code=13185&set_community_fipscode_cookie_p=t

  3. While some improvements may have been made since this air pollution score card was published in 2002, the proposed biomass plant would add significant amounts of pollutants to our already polluted air:
    • 247 tons sulfur dioxide (SO2) / year
    • 247 tons nitrogen oxide (NOx) / year
    • 247 tons carbon monoxide (CO) / year
    • 135 tons particulate matter (PM) / year
    • 113 tons of PM10 / year
    • 87 tons of PM2.5 / year
    • 60 tons volatile organic compounds / year
    • 14 tons of hazardous air pollutants / year
    … and you still have to add the exhaust of up to 50 diesel trucks a day delivering wood fuel to the proposed plant.
  4. Medical associations (ALA, AHA, ACS, etc.) and available scientific literature are very clear on the health risks associated with the pollution (e.g. PM2.5, NOx) that comes out of the smoke stack. There are no two ways about it. Such a pollution will have an impact on asthma, COPD, heart disease, cancer rates, mortality rates, etc.
  5. “Wild fires” occurring throughout the county (I am not including prescribed burns as the one mentioned in yesterday’s VDT) do neither add up in regard to total pollution, nor are they concentrated in one area (i.e. Valdosta). Regardless of where such “wild fires” traditionally occur, they can be addressed via “management” as is done in other parts of the country: with new and enforced ordinances, while offering mulching, composting and other services.
To use a metaphor: the argument that biomass is a “health benefit” is like asking all the smokers of Lowndes County to come to Valdosta and light up their cigarettes (more than a ton per minute) near schools and residential areas. The rest of Lowndes County may enjoy some cleaner air (unless the wind is blowing the “wrong” direction) but we Valdostans (children, elderly, you and I.) will breathe in the “second-hand smoke” … 24/7 and 365 days a year.

How can anyone possibly sell this biomass incinerator as a “good idea” or as a “health benefit” for our community? For 25 permanent jobs? Millions of tax dollars wasted? The value of houses declining? Industries such as Langdale Board and PCA seeing an increase in prices for the raw materials they need? Increased rates of respiratory illnesses, cancer rates, etc.? Health care costs?

I would very much appreciate if I could schedule individual appointments with you in the coming days to further discuss some of these issues, or to simply answer any questions you might have. This week may not work out anymore, but if any of you have some time in the coming weeks, I will be happy to come by your offices. Best times for me are the mornings of Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Regards, Michael G. Noll, President
Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy

P.S.: Find attached the two documents I shared with you last night.

The first document is the request from NAACP to EPA for a review of the biomass plant permit, already posted. The other is LOOPHOLES, EXEMPTIONS AND OMISSIONS IN THE WIREGRASS BIOMASS-FIRED POWER PLANT PERMIT by BREDL; follow the link to see it. -jsq