{"id":2545,"date":"2011-01-01T14:54:39","date_gmt":"2011-01-01T19:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/01\/it-is-your-responsibility-to-prove-us-wrong-dr-noll-to-mr-lofton.html"},"modified":"2011-01-01T14:54:39","modified_gmt":"2011-01-01T19:54:39","slug":"it-is-your-responsibility-to-prove-us-wrong-dr-noll-to-mr-lofton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/01\/it-is-your-responsibility-to-prove-us-wrong-dr-noll-to-mr-lofton.html","title":{"rendered":"“It is your responsibility to prove us wrong” –Dr. Noll to Mr. Lofton"},"content":{"rendered":"Dr. Noll responds to Mr. Lofton’s email of 24 Dec 2010.<\/a>\n-jsq\n
\nFrom: “Michael G. Noll”\n
\nTo: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>,\n“Mary B. Gooding”,\n“Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>,\n“Copeland, Roy”,\n“‘John S. Quarterman'”,\n“Susan R. Wehling”,\nKay Harris\n
\nSubject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC\n
\nDate: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:19:15 +0000\n

\nHello Mr. Lofton.\n

\nYou might remember that WACE handed out a “Myth vs. Fact” info sheet at\nthe meeting. On it were clearly outlined major issues we have with your\nbiomass project. I will only entertain the first three to refresh your\nmemory, since they are the most important facts for our community:\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n

\n
    \n
  1. Fact: Biomass is dirtier than coal. This is not simply our “opinion”\nbut based on data we received from the Georgia EPD in regard to PM, SO2\nand NOx emissions. This simply verified what we already knew from\nsimilar inquiries by Dr. Sammons and others. You can verify this fact\nby contacting Mr. Eric Cornwell. I trust you know of him.\n
  2. Fact: Wiregrass Biomass LLC avoids best available technology\n(referred to as BACT and MACT), which you would have to deal with in\nconnection with a major air permit. Thus, your comment on your\n“enormous efforts” in regard to protecting our community is yet another\nmyth. We also gave an example for this on our sheet.\n
  3. Fact: Biomass incineration bears significant health risks. This is\nnot only outlined by the recent letter WACE received from the ALA, but\nby studies throughout the country. If you carefully look on, I believe,\npage 8 of your application, you will see listed the hundreds of tons of\npollutants your proposed biomass plant would spew out each year. Among\nthem are such compounds as PM2.5 and NOx, all of which are\nunequivocally identified as a significant threat to the citizen’s\nhealth. You might not like that fact, but you can’t continue ignoring\nit. Again, this is not our “opinion” but based on scholarly research.\nInterestingly enough, your toxicologist did neither quantify the actual\namount of pollutants coming out of the smoke stack of your plant in his\npresentation (because hundreds of tons don’t look good on a slide?),\nand likewise did nothing to provide proof that biomass is safe.\n“Assurances” or “statements” are not what we need at this time, only\nfacts backed up by scholarly research will do.\n<\/ol>\nAs it relates to the existence of an “environmental impact analysis”\n(the nature of which seems to change like the quantity of dioxin. Is it\npounds? Or ounces?): why don’t you share this environmental impact\nanalysis with the whole group? Such an impact analysis would not only\naddress the larger questions of air pollution and sustainability, but\nalso focus on such matters as Mud Creek, water quality, etc. … and if\nit was done correctly draw from the experience\/data of other regions in\nthe US.\n

    \nLikewise, it is time to share scholarly sources with the group that\nsupport your or Dr. Teaf’s claim that biomass is safe. You once made\nthe statement that you are\/were 1,000% certain about this, so I have to\nassume you have such sources readily available.\n

    \nIt should be apparent by now that the information you have provided\nthese past three years to concerned citizens in our community has left\nmany questions unanswered. You latest biomass panel did nothing to\nchange that. Why? Because you keep avoiding answering important\nquestions, or when you do answer them, can’t back up your answers with\nscholarly studies.\n

    \nI am afraid to say that only until you were able to address these\nissues, and in particular the health risks associated with your\nproposed biomass plant, may we indeed work together on creating a truly\nclean and green future for our community. Based on the data we have\npresented, backed up by scientific studies, biomass is not part of our\nvision. Why? Because it wastes our tax dollars, it is dirtier than coal\n(including CO2 emissions), and, most importantly, it bears significant\nhealth risks.\n

    \nIt is your responsibility to prove us wrong (i.e. with the help of\nscientific studies which are up-to-date). Thus far you have not been\nable to do so.\n

    \nBest regards, Michael G. Noll.\n

    \nP.S.: In addition to the recent news that proposed biomass plants\nthroughout the country are “put on ice” because of economic risks, we\nalso saw the first moratorium on a biomass plant due to “environmental\nconcerns” just a few days ago in Thurston County, Washington.\nConsidering our situation here in Lowndes County, I would suggest to do\nthe same … until we have finally gotten answers to our questions …\nor until we have simply realized that there are better alternatives for\njob creation that do not risk the health of our citizens! John\nQuarterman has done much to highlight this too!\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Noll responds to Mr. Lofton’s email of 24 Dec 2010. -jsq From: “Michael G. Noll” To: “blofton@industrialauthority.com” <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, “Mary B. Gooding”, “Ricketts, Allan” <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>, “Copeland, Roy”, “‘John S. Quarterman’”, “Susan R. Wehling”, Kay Harris Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 21:19:15 +0000 Hello Mr. Lofton. You might remember that WACE […]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[97,556,120,141,216,48,14,15,16,41,21,32,23,73,289,178,700],"tags":[4923,193,8738,1747,5016,300,969,4894,1246,793,189,186,847,548,8702,12,1169,185,703,181,183,8714,180,8749,5073],"class_list":["post-2545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-air","category-biomass","category-co2","category-coal","category-code-enforcement","category-economy","category-education","category-environment","category-health-care","category-planning","category-pollution","category-renewable-energy","category-safety","category-science","category-vlcia","category-wace","tag-21-dec-2010","tag-allan-ricketts","tag-biomass","tag-brad-lofton","tag-christopher-teaf","tag-development","tag-economics","tag-exports","tag-gary-minchew","tag-industry","tag-j-stephen-gupton","tag-jerry-jennett","tag-jobs","tag-john-s-quarterman","tag-lake","tag-lowndes-area-knowledge-exchange","tag-marketing","tag-mary-gooding","tag-michael-noll","tag-norman-bennett","tag-roy-copeland","tag-solar","tag-valdosta-lowndes-county-industrial-authority","tag-vlcia","tag-william-sammons"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-F3","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2545\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}