“Your determination to sell our community your biomass project” –Dr. Noll to Brad Lofton

First of a series. -jsq
From: “Michael G. Noll”
To: Brad Lofton <blofton@industrialauthority.com>, “John S. Quarterman, Allan Ricketts, <aricketts@industrialauthority.com>
CC: “Susan R. Wehling”, “Mary B. Gooding”, Roy Copeland, Kay Harris
Subject: RE: Wiregrass Power, LLC
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:46:25 +0000

Hello Mr. Lofton.

I can certainly admire your determination to sell our community your biomass project as “green” or “safe”. However, as WACE already pointed out, there is a difference between fiction and fact (see my guest column in the VDT on December 12, 2010).

In the last couple months, WACE has provided the Industrial Authority and the community with a plethora of scientific literature and statements made by medical organizations that unequivocally state that biomass is neither “green” nor “safe”. At the same time, neither you nor Mr. Ricketts have been able to provide up-to-date scientific proof to us to challenge the position that biomass is, in fact, dirtier than coal and bears significant health risks.

Anyone who cares enough for the community he or she lives in, must understand the responsibility to provide such proof. I have difficulties to imagine that you or Mr. Ricketts do not share such a sentiment, despite the disagreements we might have. Let’s cut to the chase in regard to your panel of experts:

  • if my memory serves me correctly, none of them provided any sources or studies in their slides to back up their claims. Our community needs more than just “assurances” (or for that matter political statements, which can change as quickly as the weather does)
  • likewise, I don’t recall any details from these presentations in terms of quantifying just how much pollution we can expect, although your application is rather specific on the matter. Why would that be?
  • at the same time, the few numbers that were used in the presentation appear different from what is found in your application (e.g. 400,000 tons of wood waste burned per year vs. 637,000 tons of wood waste as stated in your application)
  • your expert from Iowa compared a biomass plant that burns oat hulls (from a Quaker Oats factory down the street) with your proposed biomass plant that would burn sewage sludge and wood waste. Such a comparison is the equivalent of comparing apples with oranges.
  • the panel did not include one medical professional to provide proof that biomass plants are “safe”, despite the fact that the health risks associated with this plant are what matter most to the community. Instead you had a toxicologist on the panel, who seems to take lightly the toxicity of one of the most dangerous chemical compounds on our planet (dioxin) and who seems not to understand the health risks associated with PM2.5 pollution.
  • your economic expert ultimately did not do much more than to assure us that “a job, is a job, is a job”, and was poorly prepared to present the economic benefits (if any) of your project for the community in the long run
  • if you add to the fiasco of a poor economic impact analysis the fact that there is no environmental impact or health impact analysis, you cannot help it but wonder what “due diligence” means to some of us in the community
To address these and other issues, WACE will host another forum on January 13 at the University Center at VSU.

We cordially invite members of the Industrial Authority and our community to attend this event. An announcement with more specifics will follow in early January.

Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year.

Best regards, Michael G. Noll, President
Wiregrass Activists for Clean Energy