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POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH
BIOMASS PLANTS
The proposed biomass plant for Henniker will have a negative impact
on the local public health, welfare, and the environment. This is
the wrong location in the wrong town and the wrong company. Green
energy does not equal clean energy.
This is not the Right Location for a Biomass Plant:
• Scenic Town Inappropriate Location for a Power Plant
The proposed location is not right for a biomass plant. To begin
with, a power plant does not belong in a quiet, residential college
town that is known for its scenery and beauty. There will be an
80-foot plus smokestack spewing out smoke 24 hours per day. Anyone
with a view of Pat’s Peak will now see this power plant. Also, the
valley location creates an environment that will hold pollution in.
The area is surrounded by hills and mountains, which will serve to
trap pollutants in Henniker. On days when there is no breeze, the
stagnant air will allow noxious smells and pollutants to linger.
• Inconsistent with Henniker’s Zoning Plan
The proposed plant does not fit in to Henniker’s zoning plan.
Henniker does not have an industrial zone for a reason. This type of
plant was likely never imagined in this town. The proposed plant
would be in the Heavy Commercial District, typically used for
manufacturing and logging activities. It is a small commercial area,
within a short distance to many residences in West Hopkinton and
Henniker. It is also close to many of the town’s ball fields,
recreational areas and Craney State Forest. Anyone who has a home
with a higher elevation than this section of Old Concord Road will
see the sprawling, nearly 10 acre power plant. It will be impossible
not to see the 80+ foot smokestack operating 24 hours per day, 7
days per week to anyone passing through town on Route 202.
• Will not supply power to Henniker
The biomass plant will not be supplying power for the Town of
Henniker. Any electricity created will be sold on the open market to
ISO New England (Independent System Operator) based in
Massachusetts, or to National Grid, an international energy delivery
company based in London.
• Will not reduce your electric bill
The biomass plant will not help the ratepayer--in fact, we may end
up paying more for electricity. The biomass plant can withhold the
power until the market conditions are more favorable for them, i.e.
the prices are higher and then sell the power. Biomass plant owners’
also make money by selling credits to utility plants in other states
that are burning fossil fuels. The biomass plants are independent,
unregulated companies. A representative of PSNH has stated that
independent biomass plants “will bring absolutely no benefit to our
customers.”
• Not a Reconfiguration of An Existing Emissions Source
Other biomass plants that are now in use have generally been
installed where the company has either a) converted an existing
fossil-fuel burning plant to biomass or b) converted a
pollution-creating paper mill to biomass. Therefore, in many
instances, the biomass plant is a reconfiguration of an already
existing pollution emitting facility. In those reconfiguration
cases, pollution in the respective towns may be reduced or at least
may not be significantly and dramatically increased. In contrast, in
Henniker Laidlaw would be introducing a wholly new pollution
emitting source to town. Biomass plants are a good idea in some
locations, but not this one.
• Proximity to BioEnergy and Combined Pollution
The proposed biomass plant is less than 2 miles away from the
proposed Hopkinton biomass plant, a 34 MW facility. When both plants
are operating, the combined size would be bigger than any biomass
plant in the State. This will create a lot of pollution in a small,
residential area surrounded by hills, and potentially one of the
largest biomass concentrations in the Northeast.
• Unknown and Untested Technology
The technology being proposed for the biomass plant is new and still
needs to be fine-tuned before it is considered a safe option in a
residential community. There are so few of these plants operating in
the country, there is little research about long-term effects.
Moreover, there are presently cleaner alternatives for energy,
including wind, hydroelectric and geothermal, which require little
or no emissions. There is no reason that Henniker needs to have a
biomass plant built in this town. Any potential positives are
greatly outweighed by the potential negatives.
• Minimal Regulatory Controls
Despite Laidlaw’s representations, the regulations for biomass
plants are minimal. Laidlaw’s biomass plant is just small enough
that it does not fall under stricter state control. Normally, the
state would have to review the company’s proposal, including its
plans for emissions, and an attorney would be appointed to represent
the public interest to help minimize harm to the public. However,
Laidlaw will not automatically be subject to further state review,
except to get an air permit. This leaves Laidlaw largely
unregulated. Under RSA 162-H, only a facility that is more than 30
MW is required to go through the State Site Review process.
Laidlaw’s proposed plant is 20 MW, large enough to be a significant
problem, but just small enough to not fall under the State’s
jurisdiction.
NOTE: Only if a petition is endorsed by the board of selectmen, or
by 100 or more registered voters, will the plant undergo State Site
Review. Without the State review, there will be no further period
for public comment, no public advocate appointed to protect the
public’s interest, no further restrictions on pollution and no means
of State enforcement other than for the air permit.
• Minimal Emissions Monitoring
The requirements that a biomass plant must meet in order to sell
their energy credits are not very strict. Nitrogen oxide emissions
are required to have a continuous emissions monitor, but for all
other emissions, only an annual test is required (RSA 362-F:12). The
plant, not the State, conducts the tests. And, after three compliant
annual tests, the plant can petition to conduct tests even less
frequently!
• Better Uses for the Property
There are other better uses for this property. The property, located
in a commercial area, could be used for retail, logging or a variety
of other purposes that would not result in irreparable harm to the
local community. Moreover, such other uses are within the scope and
intent of the Town’s zoning plan. Laidlaw’s proposed use is not
consistent with the Town’s Zoning Plan, and it is contrary to the
nature of the Town and its geography.
Green Energy does not
Equal Clean Energy:
Laidlaw indicated it currently intends to burn clean wood chips.
People should not falsely assume that renewable or “green” energy is
clean energy. In fact, burning clean wood chips creates significant
health and environmental issues, especially at the burn volume
proposed by Laidlaw. Laidlaw’s power plant also creates other
nuisance and safety issues for Henniker and surrounding communities.
• Air Pollution and Related Health Hazards
Biomass combustion puts pollution in the air in order to make
energy. Just because the energy source is natural does not make it
clean energy. Moreover, even utilizing state of the art technology
will not prevent the emission of harmful, carcinogenic, and
otherwise toxic pollutants. Harmful emissions from a biomass plant
(even a “state of the art” plant) include nitrous oxides (NOx),
carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Particulate matter (PM) is
solid or liquid droplets from smoke, dust, fly ash and condensing
vapors. These are pollutants that the EPA has identified as having
adverse effects on public health.
Some potential health effects of these pollutants include the
following:
Carbon monoxide may reduce the ability of blood to deliver oxygen to
vital tissues affecting the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Long-term exposure to higher than normal concentrations of NOx can
result in various respiratory infections ranging from simple coughs
to bronchitis and pneumonia. This is also a component of smog and
causes acid rain.
PM can cause nose and throat irritation, lung damage, bronchitis.
Children and the elderly are especially at risk. It also can damage
paint, soils, clothing and furniture. (This information is found on
the New Hampshire DES website).
The proposed Laidlaw plant planned in Ellicottville, NY (population
2,500) is only for 7 MW, and the plans show the following amount of
pollutants would be emitted annually:
nitrogen oxide - 111 tons
sulfur dioxide - 9 tons
particulate matter - 4 tons
carbon monoxide - 111 tons
volatile organic compounds - 18 tons
hazardous air pollutants - 19 tons including:
benzene – 4,231 lbs.; formaldehyde – 4,433 lbs.; hydrogen chloride -
19,141 lbs.
There are over 100
different chemicals and compound groups in emissions from burning
wood.
Total emissions of pollutants at this NY plant: 272 tons per year—!
The proposed Henniker plant is almost three (3) times larger than
the Ellicottville, New York plant.
• Laidlaw Has Not Released Emission Information on Henniker Plant
Unfortunately, we will not know the true emissions of the plant
until it is already approved. Laidlaw has yet to release any plans
showing what the emissions will be for the Henniker plant. The
bottom line is that burning wood for energy is not clean energy.
There are many medical and scientific articles about wood smoke’s
negative effects on human health.
• Dust
Along with air pollution, biomass plants create large amounts of
dust. Piles of wood chips and ash, conveying wood chips, trucks and
machinery on unpaved roads, and trucks carrying ash all create
opportunities for dust emissions. Residents that lived near the
Hopkinton biomass plant while it was operating complained of a
constant “haze” that hung over the area near the plant. Laidlaw
stated that that they will need to work with another company to
dispose of the ash from the proposed plant. In other words, there
will be enough ash created that it is a problem figuring out how to
dispose of it.
• Smell
Residents near the Burlington, VT plant often complain of
ammonia-like odors emanating from the biomass plant, causing
headaches and nausea due to the smell. The biomass plant in
Burlington has been so problematic that the federal government
granted $500,000 to help the residents monitor odor, noise and dust
from the plant. The fermentation of wood chips in piles has also
caused fires, which in turn greatly increased the noxious smell.
Wood chip fermentation causes the wood to break down into various
chemicals, and their odors are similar to ammonia. Three of these
chemicals are concerning to public health—furfural, formaldehyde and
phenols. EPA treats these chemicals as toxic pollutants. Ammonia is
also used in the biomass process on a regular basis.
• Groundwater
There is a potential for wood chip leachate into the groundwater.
The toxic chemicals created from woodchips can contaminate the
ground by storm water runoff into the ground, contaminating ground
and surface water supplies. The proposed plant is located near the
Contoocook River, a river known for its fishing, kayaking and other
recreational activities. It is unknown what this plant plans to use
for a water source for its holding pond, how it plans to dispose of
water or how it will protect groundwater from contamination.
• Noise Pollution
Biomass plants have consistently caused problems for residents due
to the noise that is created during its operation. The biomass plant
located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire is so loud that residents of
Eliot, Maine, (across the river from the plant) paid to have an
acoustical study done. The study showed that the biomass plant
violated both Portsmouth’s and Eliot’s sound ordinances. One Eliot
resident said that the biomass plant “sounds like a jet engine
running all the time.” The sound study found that between 3 and 4:00
a.m. in Eliot, the sound ranges from 54 to 61 decibels. Typically, a
residential area would experience sounds between 25 and 35 decibels
for the same time period. This is especially concerning because the
Schiller plant had already built a 700 foot noise reduction wall
before it went into operation in 2007.
Also, the biomass plant in Burlington, Vermont has had many
complaints from residents about noise from the plant. Residents also
complained about vibrations from woodchips as the result of
unloading woodchips. The noise was so bad that Burlington Electric
offered to move the residents in surrounding neighborhoods. After
many years of operating the McNeil biomass plant, the Plant Manager
John Irving said one lesson learned is that “It is best to site a
biomass plant . . . far from residential neighborhoods.”
Laidlaw plans to run the
proposed plant 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The noise will be
constant. There is nothing comparable in Henniker at this time.
• Light Pollution
Biomass plants run 24 hours a day, seven days per week. This means
that the entire property is constantly lit up, causing light
pollution. Many people stay in New Hampshire so that they can
actually see the stars at night. The proposed plant will light up
the sky for miles around.
• Increased Traffic
Biomass plants bring lots of traffic, much of it in the form of
trucks. Trucks loaded with wood will be running around the clock.
The plant plans to burn 250,000 TONS of wood chips per year at this
site. This wood would be supplied from outside suppliers to
Cousineau Forest Products. Cousineau has stated that there will be
no increase in the amount of traffic because it will no longer be
supplying the fuel for the Portsmouth biomass plant. However, it is
difficult to believe that a company that is, in their words, an
operation that runs from Maine to Florida, and processes 100
million-300 million tons of wood fiber per year, will give up the
business it has in Portsmouth (a 50 MW plant) to power a 20 MW
plant. Also, there would likely be traffic related to the business
itself, such as removing ash or other activities.
Why this is the Wrong
Company for this Town:
• Laidlaw Biomass Plant in New York
(Town of Ellicottville, Statement of Findings and Decision, Laidlaw
Energy Group Inc.) On 11/24/04, Laidlaw submitted an application to
operate a 5-MW biomass plant in Ellicottville, NY. “Laidlaw states
the new business facility will be state of the art, although the
proposed Wellons Fuel Cell boiler was built in 1981, and its ‘new’
turbine is a fifty year old turbine retired by a Pennsylvania
municipality and bought by Laidlaw from a second hand dealer.” On
8/2/05, Laidlaw bypassed the Town and directly submitted an
application to the State of NY to modify the existing Title Permit
because the boiler would produce an increase in Btu/hr “which
inherently increased the potential air emission.” Laidlaw
understated the environmental impacts: “Unfortunately, this
mendacious attitude and reluctance to cooperate was the
distinguishing feature of Laidlaw's performance in the application
review procedure; even when under court order to turn over
information, Laidlaw was late and incomplete in doing so.” The Town
denied the Site Plan for the biomass plant. Laidlaw filed a $10
million lawsuit against Ellicotville that is still in litigation.
• Laidlaw’s Proposed Biomass Plant in Berlin, NH
Other towns where Laidlaw has proposed building biomass plants have
opposed the development. At this time, the mayor of Berlin, NH is
trying to prevent Laidlaw from developing a biomass plant in a
former paper mill. Also, the small town of Ellicottville, NY has
opposed Laidlaw’s plans to build a much smaller 7 MW biomass plant.
Laidlaw is in litigation now with Ellicottville, and has filed a $10
million lawsuit against the town.
• Laidlaw’s Reference to Sweden
Laidlaw has pointed to Sweden and their use of
biomass energy to show how well it can work.
There are many types of “biomass” energy,
however, and it is important to compare the same
types of plants.
Laidlaw Energy Group, at the ZBA meeting in May, requested a “Use
and Area” variance to establish a biomass energy plant on Old
Concord Road. The ZBA Board requested that Laidlaw provide
additional information. Laidlaw’s complete application to the
Henniker Zoning Board can be reviewed, or copy requested, at the
Town Hall. |
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