Amador County – The Amador County Planning Department began a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report on Wednesday toward reopening the former Cogen facility on Coal Mine Road. The public scoping session began for a request by Buena Vista Biomass Power to amend the plant’s permit to no longer burn lignite as fuel, and to replace the fuel there as only wood, agriculture and other organic matter. BVBP would reopen the plant using original and updated environmental documents. Several people questioned the plans for the plant, saying they did not give enough detail. Jerry Cassesi of Jackson Valley burning all woody biomass could be “more harmful that lignite burning.” Donna Ogelvie of Camanche Parkway North worried about truck trips, particulate matter, truck noise and ambient light; and Butch Cranford of Plymouth said BVBP documents have internal contradictions, sometimes “in the same paragraph.” He said the public deserves project descriptions and more detailed plans, including the size of the fuel trucks and the quantity of fuel being burned, and how much emissions would come out. Without those, he said scoping comments were pretty much irrelevant. Kathleen Dubois worried about hazardous material, hydrology and water quality, and said the Amador Water Agency should be contacted. She also asked “what is clean urban waste,” (a fuel listed by the applicant), and who would monitor it. Dubois said the plant needs trees and slash to make money, and supplies need to be guaranteed. And with using all biomass as fuel, she wondered how far the truck hauling would occur outside a 50-mile radius. Rux Oneto, Cogen plant co-owner, said truckers pay $500 annual permits to offset their impacts of hauling heavy loads. Steve Brink of the California Forestry Association, a trade organization, said the region would benefit by the plant reducing emissions though reducing outdoor burning in national forests. He said the Highway 50 and 88 corridor would supply about 100,000 tons of slash a year, through forest management cutting. He said that would be about 70 percent of what Buena Vista Biomass Power would need to operate annually. Brink said that amount of forest management slash is now “being piled and burned.” Controlled internal combustion of wood reduces “criteria pollutant emissions” by 98 percent over open-air burning. Brink said “we have not controlled vegetation in 60 years and it shows,” in the density of air emissions from wildfires. He said wildfires are the Number 1 supplier of particulate emissions, accounting for 30 percent. Number 2 is residential wood smoke, accounting for 14 percent, and diesel fuel accounts for 5 percent. He said there is a national question about whether wood burning should be considered “carbon neutral.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Monday, 05 April 2010 02:02
Buena Vista Biomass Power SEIR Scopes Emissions
Amador County – The Amador County Planning Department began a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report on Wednesday toward reopening the former Cogen facility on Coal Mine Road. The public scoping session began for a request by Buena Vista Biomass Power to amend the plant’s permit to no longer burn lignite as fuel, and to replace the fuel there as only wood, agriculture and other organic matter. BVBP would reopen the plant using original and updated environmental documents. Several people questioned the plans for the plant, saying they did not give enough detail. Jerry Cassesi of Jackson Valley burning all woody biomass could be “more harmful that lignite burning.” Donna Ogelvie of Camanche Parkway North worried about truck trips, particulate matter, truck noise and ambient light; and Butch Cranford of Plymouth said BVBP documents have internal contradictions, sometimes “in the same paragraph.” He said the public deserves project descriptions and more detailed plans, including the size of the fuel trucks and the quantity of fuel being burned, and how much emissions would come out. Without those, he said scoping comments were pretty much irrelevant. Kathleen Dubois worried about hazardous material, hydrology and water quality, and said the Amador Water Agency should be contacted. She also asked “what is clean urban waste,” (a fuel listed by the applicant), and who would monitor it. Dubois said the plant needs trees and slash to make money, and supplies need to be guaranteed. And with using all biomass as fuel, she wondered how far the truck hauling would occur outside a 50-mile radius. Rux Oneto, Cogen plant co-owner, said truckers pay $500 annual permits to offset their impacts of hauling heavy loads. Steve Brink of the California Forestry Association, a trade organization, said the region would benefit by the plant reducing emissions though reducing outdoor burning in national forests. He said the Highway 50 and 88 corridor would supply about 100,000 tons of slash a year, through forest management cutting. He said that would be about 70 percent of what Buena Vista Biomass Power would need to operate annually. Brink said that amount of forest management slash is now “being piled and burned.” Controlled internal combustion of wood reduces “criteria pollutant emissions” by 98 percent over open-air burning. Brink said “we have not controlled vegetation in 60 years and it shows,” in the density of air emissions from wildfires. He said wildfires are the Number 1 supplier of particulate emissions, accounting for 30 percent. Number 2 is residential wood smoke, accounting for 14 percent, and diesel fuel accounts for 5 percent. He said there is a national question about whether wood burning should be considered “carbon neutral.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Latest from
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