Lung Association urges ‘no’ for biomass plant

The American Lung Association has come out against the proposed wood-fired power plant in North Springfield.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20131219/NEWS02/712199893/1003

Published December 19, 2013 in the Rutland Herald Lung Association urges ‘no’ for biomass plant By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer NORTH SPRINGFIELD — The American Lung Association has come out against the proposed wood-fired power plant in North Springfield, saying its emissions will be harmful to the public health, especially those with lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Vermont affiliate of the national organization, which has a long history of opposing biomass plants in other parts of the country, has been involved in trying to guide state energy policy to take into consideration health concerns, rather than being involved in specific reviews, said Rebecca Ryan, director of health promotion and public policy. The proposed North Springfield Sustainable Energy Project, a 36-megawatt project would be built by Winstanley Enterprises LLC and Weston Solutions Inc. in the North Springfield Industrial Park. The plant, which still needs a certificate of public good from the state Public Service Board, would add pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter, which is commonly called soot, said Dr. Theodore Marcy, a pulmonary physician who works with the lung association. Marcy, who is a staff member at the University of Vermont Medical School, said biomass is neither green nor truly renewable, despite its name. “It is a hazard,” Marcy said, “particularly in comparison to other sources of energy.” He said particulate matter causes premature death and threatens respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and also contributes to an increase in asthma attacks, and can even cause heart disease and lung cancer. He said the World Health Organization has recently classified outdoor air pollution, including diesel exhaust, as “carcinogenic to humans.” The Lung Association said according to Vermont Health Department statistics, Vermont has had a significantly higher rate of asthma since 2007 than the rest of the country. According to Vermont health statistics, Springfield has a higher rate of adults with asthma — 12 percent — than the national average of 9 percent; and the figure for Springfield young people is 17 percent, compared to 10 percent statewide. Marcy said biomass plants produce more pollution per megawatt hour when compared with either natural gas or oil. Marcy said the Lung Association considers the “full cycle” of power plants, and it looked at not just the pollution coming from the plant, but the environmental effects of trucking. “The plant would use a huge amount of wood, 400,000 tons a year, and it needs to be transported since that amount of wood is not locally available in Springfield,” he said. Marcy, who spoke last year in Springfield at a gathering of the North Springfield Action Group, which is opposed to the project, said biomass produces particulate, which is inhaled deep into the lungs, as well as greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. He said biomass plants “are just as polluting as coal.” Dan Ingold of Weston Solutions, a spokesman for the project, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday. However, the project has satisfied state regulators, and the biomass plant was given an air-quality permit in 2012. Richard Valentinetti, director of the air pollution control division for the Agency of Natural Resources, said the plant would have pollution controls to keep emissions at an acceptable level. Valentinetti said the state air permit did not take into consideration the pollution created by the trucks delivering the wood chips to the North Springfield plant, since that issue is handled under the Section 248 process before the Public Service Board. Douglas Elliott, a staff member with the Department of Environmental Conservation, said the North Springfield air-quality permit calls for a filter system, commonly called a ‘bag house,’ and a selective catalytic-reduction system, to reduce the nitrogen oxide released in the burning process. He said that plant’s burner system helps keep nitrogen-oxide emissions low. Elliott said the filters “get cleaned over and over,” trapping the particulate or ash coming from the combustion. “You won’t see any smoke coming out of the plant,” Elliott said. “What you do see is a lot of moisture — a white plume,” he said. Robert Kischko, chairman of the North Springield Action Group, said his group had been trying to get the American Lung Association to take a stand on the project. “We have been fully supporting the American Lung Association on their national and state position on the issue of biomass for energy production,” Kischko said in an email. Kischko said he wished the state had spent more time investigating the health effects of the plant, which he said would put more than 447,000 tons of greenhouse gases and 38 tons of fine particulate into the North Springfield air. In addition, he said, the plant will release 30 other chemicals, including chlorine and ammonia, as well as sulfuric acid mist. “These chemicals are not good for the environment or human health,” Kischko said. Ryan, the Lung Association in Vermont, said her group had also raised concerns about the proposed Beaverwood project in Fair Haven, which is currently on hold. “Our role is to have the state look at the whole energy policy and that public health is included in energy planning,” she said.