Amador County – Amador County Planning released a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the Buena Vista Biomass Power Plant this week that lists significant impacts in Jackson Valley from the proposed project, including emissions, light and noise. A 45-day comment period opened Tuesday and the Amador County Planning Commission set a public meeting to consider certifying the Draft SEIR. Buena Vista Biomass Power LLC has been working to revamp and reopen the former Cogen plant as an electricity plant, and has received a federal Wildland Fire Management grant for $2.4 million for restoration of the existing facility. The commission will get an overview of the project and take oral comments September 28th. A final decision cannot be made until the commission certifies the SEIR’s compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. The SEIR, prepared by Douglas Brown of Ascent Environmental of Sacramento, said the “purpose of an EIR is not to recommend either approval or denial of a project.” Instead, “CEQA requires decision-makers to balance the benefits of a project against its unavoidable environmental effects.” The executive summary lists impacts expected to be “significant and unavoidable,” even with implementation of mitigating measures. Those included “long-term emissions of nitrogen oxides” into the air that “would exceed the recommended thresholds.” It said “operational emissions of (nitrogen oxide) could violate or contribute substantially to an existing or projected air quality violation” and could also “expose sensitive receptors to substantial pollutant concentrations.” The report said nitrogen oxide emissions would “exceed both the recommended thresholds of 10 tons a year and 65 pounds a day.” The project would also generate noise levels that “could exceed applicable noise standards.” The summary said the “project’s lighting would result in a significant and unavoidable impact on nighttime lighting,” because “the facility is currently minimally lit and there are few significant light sources in the area.” The project also could have cumulative traffic and operational noise impacts on Coal Mine and Buena Vista roads, where “proposed mitigation measures may be infeasible.” The project also could cumulatively affect Jackson Valley aesthetics, substantially altering “visual character” by “increasing the intensity of the site’s industrial activities.” Per CEQA, areas of impact found to be “not significant” were left out of the SEIR, including agriculture, cultural resources, energy, land use, mineral resources, populations & housing, and recreation. The planning department will compile and respond to comments in a Final Subsequent EIR. The public comment period closes 5 p.m. September 30th. The Planning Commission public meeting on the Draft SEIR is September 28th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thursday, 19 August 2010 06:25
SEIR Says Buena Vista Biomass Power Will Have Significant Environmental Impacts
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Amador County – Amador County Planning released a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report for the Buena Vista Biomass Power Plant this week that lists significant impacts in Jackson Valley from the proposed project, including emissions, light and noise. A 45-day comment period opened Tuesday and the Amador County Planning Commission set a public meeting to consider certifying the Draft SEIR. Buena Vista Biomass Power LLC has been working to revamp and reopen the former Cogen plant as an electricity plant, and has received a federal Wildland Fire Management grant for $2.4 million for restoration of the existing facility. The commission will get an overview of the project and take oral comments September 28th. A final decision cannot be made until the commission certifies the SEIR’s compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. The SEIR, prepared by Douglas Brown of Ascent Environmental of Sacramento, said the “purpose of an EIR is not to recommend either approval or denial of a project.” Instead, “CEQA requires decision-makers to balance the benefits of a project against its unavoidable environmental effects.” The executive summary lists impacts expected to be “significant and unavoidable,” even with implementation of mitigating measures. Those included “long-term emissions of nitrogen oxides” into the air that “would exceed the recommended thresholds.” It said “operational emissions of (nitrogen oxide) could violate or contribute substantially to an existing or projected air quality violation” and could also “expose sensitive receptors to substantial pollutant concentrations.” The report said nitrogen oxide emissions would “exceed both the recommended thresholds of 10 tons a year and 65 pounds a day.” The project would also generate noise levels that “could exceed applicable noise standards.” The summary said the “project’s lighting would result in a significant and unavoidable impact on nighttime lighting,” because “the facility is currently minimally lit and there are few significant light sources in the area.” The project also could have cumulative traffic and operational noise impacts on Coal Mine and Buena Vista roads, where “proposed mitigation measures may be infeasible.” The project also could cumulatively affect Jackson Valley aesthetics, substantially altering “visual character” by “increasing the intensity of the site’s industrial activities.” Per CEQA, areas of impact found to be “not significant” were left out of the SEIR, including agriculture, cultural resources, energy, land use, mineral resources, populations & housing, and recreation. The planning department will compile and respond to comments in a Final Subsequent EIR. The public comment period closes 5 p.m. September 30th. The Planning Commission public meeting on the Draft SEIR is September 28th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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