Dr. Marcy showed graphs of studies done in other areas suggesting significant health risks associated with biomass burning and pollution that comes from biomass power plants.
The presentation took place at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Fairground Road in Springfield. It was part of the regular monthly meeting of the North Springfield Action Group (NoSag). All the members of the Town Select Board were personally invited to attend tonight's informational meeting but none attended.
The entire meeting was video recorded and will be played over SAPA-TV soon. http://nosagvt.org
Winstanley Enterprises has applied to the Vermont Public Service Board for a Certificate of Public Good to permit development of a 25 to 35 Megawatt biomass electric generating plant in the Industrial Park. The North Springfield Action Group has some serious concerns about this enterprise. Please read our web site to learn about this project and our concerns. We suggest starting with Project and Issues Overview and Is this really Clean or Green Energy?, both written by NoSAG.
— Important Public Meeting —
Tuesday May 22nd 7 PM - Unitarian Universalist Church
21 Fairground Road - Springfield, Vermont
Special Guest Speaker - Ted Marcy MD, MPH
Vermont Lung Center UVM - American Lung Association.
The North Springfield Action (NoSAG) group is pleased to have a special guest speaker at our May Public Event. We invite our members, the public and our town's leadership who are concerned for our health and the health of our community, our families and neighbors to join us.
Dr. Theodore Marcy will be discussing the importance of keeping our air clean and how particulates can affect us. Issues related to Respiratory Health from Backyard Burning will be presented. Those particulates include the emissions related to woody biomass for electricity and the fact it is harmful to us all.
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im sure there will be so many government regulations on air quality they wont let them put the biomass plant in north springfield any way..then people will complain when theres no jobs available in the area..we need more industry in this area.. wish some one would tell me the best way to make electricity..MORE NUKE PLANTS???
ReplyDeleteGov't regs? Can't depend on them to keep us safe! Look at the FDA, EPA, and don't even get me started on the secret service - haha! But really, why do we trust that the gov't will protect us? Also, what makes you think we need more electricity? The grid is full, we do not need a power plant. For some reason people feel an urgency to find an alternative to the biomass plant when the fact is that we never needed something like this to begin with. The developers could come up with alternative investment opportunities that bring some jobs to the area and do not contaminate our people or environment!
DeleteI think we should ban smoking entirely in Springfield. It is clear that second hand smoke kills. Ban all smoking in Springfield, make this a clean town!
DeleteNo wood stoves, no bio mass, no cars, no toxic cigarette smoke, no bon fires, NO SMOKE FOR SPRINGFIELD!
DeleteSo, you are saying that because there are vehicals, fires, and smokers... a biomass plant is justifiable. Makes total sense! So with that logic in mind, I suppose that because there are some idiots in this town, we should just go ahead and invite all the idiots to come live here. Oh wait, that's sort of what we are doing by making stupid choices with our town's development!
DeleteI think the person that posted that just wants clean air...not more idiots.
DeleteI like the person that posted this--makes total since!!!! Monkey see Monkey do--makes a dead monkey!
DeleteI think you will also find that the Lung Association is also against wood-burning stoves for heat. Those give off even more contaminates then the biomass plant but everyone seems to like those
ReplyDeleteCareful with your wording -- the ALA isn't against wood stoves. Wood stoves are way practical than a biomass power plant, which operates at 25% efficiency!
Deletethe real issue is where was the selectboard--do they not want to hear the other side--other than the Winstanley side? Says alot about the selectboard--not interested, don't care, don't care about Nr. Sprinfield or even Springfield, they have their minds made up without hearing all the facts....not one showed up! what a shame--time for new selectboard members--one's who will listen when the people speak.
ReplyDeleteI suspect they saw this for what it was, more NOSAG public propaganda and didn't want to be seen as taking sides. And, probably some of them have woodburning stoves at home as well since heating with wood is sort of a Vermont tradition which supports the local economy, and this biomass plant will also support the local economy rather than buying our electricity from Canada.
DeleteLol. Did you vote in March? You replaced 2 out of 5. What did that get you? What happened to Yesman, he was there for the meetings when he needed the votes. Now you all have been kicked aside, now that he's on the board with all his hidden agendas.
DeleteYou want to talk about propaganda?! How about the paid advertising that Winstanley Enterpises is plugging into our local media! Only touching on the negatives while brainwashing our community into believing we need a power plant! So big-business can make millions and leave us with nothing but 28 "jobs", lowered property values, and increased cost of wood and electricity.
DeleteThe selectboard IS, in fact, seen as taking sides by the 300+ people who have signed the NoSAG petition that opposes this incinerator. If you had attended the meeting, Aethelred the Unready, you would have learned that WOOD STOVES ARE NOT THE SAME AS A BIOMASS PLANT! You are overlooking issues of efficiency and the method of burning taking place -- there's much more to it than meets the eye.
The selectboard members need to grow some gonads and stick up for something for once... seems like all they do is play pretty so they can meet their personal agendas. Makes me sick! I'd like to see a local leader be convicted and passionate for once!! Like Winston Churchill said: "You have enemies? Good. Means you stood up for something, sometime in your life." Time to stick up for something, Springfield!
DeleteWe've had local leaders "convicted" before. :)
DeleteIf people don't wake up, Springfield will be known as the idiots who let a biomass power plant into their community. People will be welcomed in by the prison and sent away by the smoke stack! What our town officials aren't taking the time to learn is that biomass no longer falls into the sustainable/green/renewable realm -- maybe it did 6 years ago when this proposed plant was first sparked, but today is another story. Biomass is entering the dirty/oops category very quickly! Bans on biomass are in place around the world, and even in New England -- many communities have come together to keep this bad idea from developing. Why is Springfield so behind on the times?! Where are our leaders? Where are our intelligent influences at a critical time when Springfield needs to move forward? Biomass is simply a step back. If we don't learn from the mistakes that so many others have made, what do we stand for? We have a town plan in place and this plant bolding goes against that! What is the point? Biomass combustion for heat and electricity is quickly gaining a bad reputation -- and so will our community if we allow this here when all the data proves it is a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteAll good points!!!
DeleteI really don't think that the biomass heating systems that we put in the local schools have hurt our reputation. However, people spewing forth NIMBY negativity sure have.
DeleteYou can not compare the small system in the schools which is for HEATING and is efficient to a plant that produces ELECTRICITY and is not efficient. You don't know what you are talking about!!Heat production and electrical production are different--get it?
DeleteThis is absolutely epic. All the naive, idealistic, do-gooders that supported alternative energy, are now faced with chickens coming home to roost.
ReplyDeleteSuck it up you idiots. You voted in the representatives that legislated this and also get the privilege of paying more for it.
Where are you Alice and Cynthia? Doesn't seem like such a great idea now that it's in your own back yard does it?
Actually its a good project.
DeleteRe: "Biomass combustion for heat and electricity is quickly gaining a bad reputation..."
ReplyDeleteIn your dreams perhaps! Fact is, Vermont is embracing biomass and authorizing a biomass demonstration project:
A final component of the the Vermont Energy Act of 2012 authorizes a biomass energy demonstration project to be implemented in Chittenden County by the Biomass Energy Co-op Corp., in order to explore and showcase the development of community-supported wood harvest and pellet production in Vermont.
I guess your misleading propaganda/disinformation campaign hasn't resonated in Montpelier!
Biomass is pretty much a win/win in Vermont, unfortunately the NIMBY's are fighting it just as they have wind energy. But Biomass is more of a job creator than wind or solar, and it will help the landowners who are struggling trying to upgrade their forest land by creating a market for otherwise unmarketable timber that just goes to waste.
DeleteIf the stack scrubbers are so effective, why not also burn tires same as I do in my wood furance? Tremendous BTUs and FREE.
ReplyDeletemore stupidity!
DeleteSUPER Stupidity: burning tires, garbage, medical waste, and wood in huge inefficient biomass burners.
ReplyDelete