OPEN LETTER TO THE HOPKINTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN 2/5/08

 

 

Hopkinton Board of Selectmen

Hopkinton, New Hampshire 03229

 

 

Gentlemen:

 

On behalf of the REACH board, we thank you for inviting representatives of our group to participate in your discussions with Bio Energy regarding the future of the West Hopkinton facility.  As you know, the 2,000 members of REACH have been concerned about the health and safety of our citizens and community related to the operation of the West Hopkinton facility and, in particular, with Bio Energy’s expressed intent to burn wood chips derived from construction and demolition debris (C&D).  Now that the incineration of C&D has been banned by the State Legislature effective January 1, 2008, the representatives of Bio Energy have approached the Town with a proposal to build a 32 megawatt power facility, nearly three times that of the present plant. 

 

We were pleased that William Dell’Orfano, the President of Bio Energy, is willing to consider alternative uses for the property, including an assisted care facility or a refrigeration warehouse for McLane Trucking, a corporate member of our community.  The REACH board has voted unanimously to assist and cooperate with the Board of Selectmen and the owners of Bio Energy with plans to develop an alternative use of the West Hopkinton facility.  The Board, however, also voted unanimously to oppose the development of any facility at the West Hopkinton site that emits hazardous air toxins.  This is based on substantial health and safety concerns that remain about the operation of such a facility at this particular location.

 

I.        I.  BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY 

 

The representatives of Bio Energy estimated that a 32 megawatt facility would have a value of approximately 65 to 70 million dollars.  This should result in a potential tax benefit to the community of approximately 1.3 million dollars.  While this may seem appealing to some at first glance, it should be noted that, in order to be financially viable, Bio Energy will be seeking a “payment in lieu of taxes” (PILOT) agreement to pay only $300,000 a year in taxes.  This translates into a tax savings of $.07 per $1,000 evaluation, or a mere $14.00 tax reduction for a $200,000 residence in Hopkinton. 

 

Unfortunately, the negative net financial effect to the community would be significant.  The taxes in this town are high, particularly high for those who own land with a view.  If the proposed 32 megawatt facility were to go on line with its smokestack pumping out visible plumes of emissions, each of the property owners with a view will demand a tax abatement and suffer a significant reduction in their property values.  In addition, the value of any property in close proximity to the facility undoubtedly will be substantially decreased.  It is also expected that the presence and operation of such a facility would have a negative effect on the retention of current residents as well as the attraction of new ones to our community.  The net effect for the town will be an overall reduction in the tax base and lower property values.  Supporting the proposal to expand the operations at the Bio Energy site is short-sighted even based on a purely financial analysis.

 

II.       II.  HARMFUL EMISSIONS

 

The question remains whether such a facility would emit toxins harmful to the environment and the 10,000 residents who live in a five mile radius of the proposed facility.  This is particularly concerning because Maple Street School is only three miles from the facility and some five other schools are located within a five mile radius. 

 

Unfortunately, even if the facility were to employ Best Available Control Technology (BACT), the increase to a 32 megawatt facility would demand larger amounts of combustible materials.  The net effect would be the emission of substantial greenhouse gases such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) at levels comparable to the present facility (approximately 125 tons per year) when in operation.  While particulate matter would be less, the emissions would still be substantial at 33.16 tons per year.  We are particularly concerned about the effects on community health from the 87 other toxins emitted into our air that will not be monitored.

 

All wood burning power plants emit approximately 87 hazardous air toxins through the combustion process.  While REACH acknowledges that it is possible to reduce certain limited emissions (such as the amount of particulates, some heavy metals that are bound to the particulates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), NO_x and SO_x, given the state of current emission control technology, the majority of the 87 hazardous air toxins will flow right out the smokestack and into Hopkinton’s air and the environment.

 

Further, when REACH and the Selectmen asked Bio Energy to provide it with the estimated emission profile for the proposed 32 megawatt facility, Bio Energy stated that such a profile would not be available until such time as the plant is designed and in operation.  At that time, tests of the emissions coming from the smokestack (stack tests) could be taken and the emission profile would finally be known.  If the 32 megawatt facility is up and running, there will be little our community could do to prevent plant from going on line no matter what is being emitted from the stack.

 

Even assuming that Bio Energy would do everything it could to reduce the emission 87 hazardous air toxins that would be generated by the combustion process and to keep all regulated emissions within lawful limits, it is undisputed that the majority of the 87 hazardous air toxins would be emitted into the air we breathe and our environment.  This can only have a negative impact on the health of our community. The technology simply does not exist to make this a healthy operation.  This is of particular concern given that this site is located in a valley, in close proximity to residences and schools, on the banks of the protected and fragile Contoocook River and in the midst of a federally-designated natural and recreational refuge.

 

III.       TRANSPORTATION INCREASES ON 202 & 9.

 

Known as “Death Alley,” the junction of US Route 202&9 located by the Golden Pineapple store has been the scene of numerous motor vehicle collisions resulting in fatalities.  The increase to a 32 megawatt facility will require an overall increase of wood chips being transported by heavy truck to the facility.  The projected increase will exacerbate an already unacceptable traffic problem in the vicinity of the plant.  Wood consumption would increase from 232,000 tons per year to approximately 360,000 tons per year resulting in 40-50 truck deliveries per day. This is a substantial increase over the 30-35 truck deliveries prior to the plant’s closure several years ago.

 

IV.       NOISE AND ODOR NUISANCES

 

No information has been presented regarding the potential noise and odor issues presented by the development of a 32 megawatt facility.  As we know from litigation between Bio Energy and town residents in the past, noise from the Bio Energy facility has been a major problem for many residents in our community.

 

V.       VIOLATIONS OF ZONING ORDINANCE

 

In order to construct a 32 megawatt facility, Bio Energy will increase:

 

--- stack size (from 157’ to as much as 190’);

--- boiler building height, to a height almost equal to the present stack height (from 60’ to as much as 120’);

--- the overall  footprint of the facility; and

---a towering pile of wood chips to fuel the facility.  

 

All of these increases are violations of the Hopkinton Zoning Ordinance, and would, therefore, require a variance.  The Hopkinton Zoning Ordinance, in part, was created to facilitate the most effective use of land and to avoid indiscriminant construction in areas that would adversely affect the rights of other landowners in the community and/or the community’s health, safety and welfare.  Towering smokestacks and boilers and billowing plumes of emissions are not consistent with the nature and character of our community and implicate serious issues associated with landowners’ right, health, safety and welfare.

 

VI.        ALTERNATIVE USES FOR THE WEST HOPKINTON SITE        

 

The bottom line is that the REACH membership is willing to support Bio Energy’s development of their West Hopkinton property in a way that would be both productive for the owners and beneficial to the residents of the community.  Achieving this goal would not, in our estimation, be served by a building a larger plant on the banks of the fragile Contoocook River and in the midst of a federally-designated natural and recreational refuge, thereby emitting tons of toxins into the air we breathe and obscuring the valley we love with emissions.  Below are some suggested uses for the property in West Hopkinton. 

 

In light of Bio Energy's stated willingness to consider providing capital to a knowledgeable partner in the development of a profitable alternative use for the site it owns in West Hopkinton, we offer the following possible projects for the company’s consideration, recognizing that the list of possible, non-emitting uses is virtually endless:
 

-- Assisted Living Facility.  Given current demographic trends which reflect the "graying" of the baby boom generation, there is an accelerating need for assisted living facilities. Bio Energy, in partnership with Eco-Logic, a Keene-based firm with special expertise in "green" construction, or a similar joint venture partner, could establish an assisted living or similar senior housing facility on its site.  This facility would address a demonstrated housing need while effecting significant operational cost savings by incorporating geothermal, solar and other energy-saving technology in its construction.  The Hopkinton facility could serve as a model, both within our state and beyond, on how to address the needs of our aging national population in an environmentally sensitive and cost-effective manner.

-- Refrigeration and Storage Plant.  McLane Trucking, already a member of Hopkinton's business community, is interested in building a refrigeration and/or storage plant. The location of the site owned by Bio Energy would serve this purpose well, assuming truck access issue could be resolved in a manner that does not increase truck traffic to and from the direction of the intersection with Routes 202&9.

-- Manufacturing Facility.  A golf cart manufacturer in Contoocook is seeking a new site and may be interested in locating a plant on Bio Energy site.

-- Indoor Sports Facility.  Hopkinton is a sports-oriented community.  An indoor soccer and/or recreational facility similar to that in Bow, NH would be an excellent addition to the town's outdoor fields.

 

VII.        CONCLUSION

 

We are grateful for the opportunity to explore alternative uses of Bio Energy’s West Hopkinton facility and welcome the opportunity to work with the company to develop a business that will both benefit the community and be profitable to the Dell’Orfanos and their partners.  We hope this spirit of cooperation will end an era of costly and disruptive litigation and mean that Hopkinton residents no longer need to be concerned about a business in our community that is focused exclusively on a business model involving emissions of pollutants, given that this use of the site implicates so many issues and concerns related to health, safety and welfare within our community and related to the environment.

 

We look forward to hearing from you and working collaboratively to explore alternative uses for the site in question.

  

  Very truly yours,

  

  

Ronald J. Lajoie, Esq. President of REACH	John E. Friberg, Jr., Esq. Vice President of REACH
Susan Covert Vice President of REACH	Janet Ward Vice President of REACH