Biomass burning is dirty energy - but taxpayers and ratepayers are forced to pay for these incinerators because corporations call them "clean and green." Join our campaign against the biomass boondoggle and put an end to toxic biomass incinerators! Sponsored by; Concerned Citzens of Franklin County, Concerned Citizens of Russell, Massachusetts Forest Watch, Pioneer Valley Preservation Coalition, Arise for Social Justice, Westfield Concerned Citizens, Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition & Massachusetts Power Shift (The Leadership Campaign).
Watch this clear presentation Taran Weeks, a ninth grade student from Greenfield talking about biomass burning plant proposed for his community.
He describes the "biomass loophole" and unregulated CO2, and NOx and particulates from the smokestack, and water, traffic, and forestry impacts. Jared understands that biomass burning uses taxpayer and ratepayer money for an inefficient, pollutingtechnology disguised as "green" and that it is certainly not "carbon neutral."
We hope that Congress and our state legislature can think as clearly about biomass burning and end federal subsidies for these "incinerators in disguise."
On July 15th, 2009, a large stack of discarded dock piers burnt at the power plant's chipper. Crews were on scene all day, and into the night.
Every fire department in Clarion County had representatives and apparatus there to help fight the large fire, as well as a few departments from Venango and Jefferson Counties.
There were two Fire Fighter casualties of heat exhaustion that were transported to Clarion Hospital, and 2 more that were treated and released.
October 15, 2009- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press contact: Margaret E. Sheehan, Esq., email, 508-259-9154
Massachusetts Ballot Initiative to Reduce Air Pollution from Biomass Burning
A citizen-led network announced this week a statewide campaign to place on the 2010 ballot a question to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Massachusetts.
The ballot question will limit carbon dioxide emissions from biomass and waste to energy incinerators to 250 pounds per megawatt hour. Currently, these incinerators produce more carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) than coal burning plants, yet they receive taxpayer and ratepayer subsidies intended for clean energy. The ballot question will help ensure that public funds are used for jobs and investments in energy conservation, efficiency, solar and properly sited wind and geothermal energy rather than for biomass burning incinerators.
At an informational meeting on Biomass in Russell, MA yesterday provided by the Concerned Citizens of Russell Southwick resident, Dr. James Wang spoke of a recent vote and decision of the Hampden District Medical Society to formally oppose the building of the Russell Biomass Plant and left a letter attesting to that decision (READ the LETTER).
The board determined that the proposed Russell Biomass Plant presents an unacceptable threat to the health of the citizens of the Pioneer Valley. In addition, you’ll find that one of Westfield’s City Councilor’s, Nick Morganelli who as a Meteorologist and American Lung Association board member was quoted in the letter. Nick identified that the geography of our valley increases the risk of collection of air pollutants.
The American Lung association also has concerns over Biomass Plants and the affects air quality.
Read their letter to the Editor and watch the video -
July 14, 2006 Dear Editor: The American Lung Association of Massachusetts has serious concerns about the proposed Biomass Power Plant in Russell, Massachusetts because of the significant impact of this project on air quality. The health of area residents and those in surrounding communities could be adversely affected by thousands of pounds of air pollutants emitted into the air daily, including nitrogen oxide or NOx. NOx is a key component of ground level ozone, or smog, and is a lung irritant. In the report that Russell Biomass filed with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office, Russell Biomass LLC projected that the power plant’s NOx levels would exceed the Federal EPA Limit for New Source Review in an Ozone Non-Attainment Area. Under current regulations, the plant would be allowed to urchase additional credits to produce the extra NOx. The reported emissions also do not include the particulate matter produced by over 800 one-way diesel truck trips serving the plant each week.
Biomass power plants (BPPs) are being considered by communities like Russell and Greenfield because of promises of jobs and tax revenues. But are these real? Will the BPPs even operate?
Our friends at the Enviro Show recently hosted a live interview with State Senator Stanley Rosenberg. Glenn Ayers asked Senator Stan if he was familiar with a citizens’ ballot initiative that would remove biomass incinerators from the state’s renewable portfolio standard.
“No, I’m not familiar with it, but I think that would be an excellent idea—we fought over that in the legislature but we lost that battle—we mitigated to some extent that language but not enough…Those are not renewable facilities.”
Listen to Senator Rosenberg’s position on biomass plants and the state’s renewable energy policy…
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The EnviroShow airs at WXOJ 103.3 FM, alternate Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30, and podcasts from this site.
By Gene H. Theroux Special to the Southwick Suffield News
I am working on a very exciting ballot initiative that affects all of us. People are gathering signatures all over Massachusetts in an effort to curtail biomass subsidies. This ballot question would allow voters to stop paying through the nose to build and run biomass incinerators. This would be accomplished by limiting the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that biomass plants can emit in order to qualify as “renewable energy” under Massachusetts law.
From Monte Belmonte of WRSI - The River Click on the Image to listen to Monte's interview with Tom Neilson. Tom Neilson is a Greenfield singer/songwriter and political activist who happend to stop by the kitchen of my friends house during a potluck to serenade us with anti-biomass music.
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