The smokestack is permitted to emit up to 2.67 tons of lead, 31 pounds of mercury, and numerous cancer causing dioxins each year.

Among REACH's representatives were a Family Physician, and a Biochemistry Professor at St. Anselm's College. The biochemistry Professor informed the audience of the threat thirty one pounds of mercury presents, saying it leaves the smokestack as a dust particle which disperses into ponds. Bacteria in the water changes the mercury into a dangerous substance that fish eat, accumulating in the fish and transferring to whatever animal eats he fish, disrupting the nervous system. The Family Physician said New Hampshire has one of the highest concentrations of mercy in the country, and the misconception is that it's coming from Ohio and Pennsylvania. He said 40 percent of the mercury is from within the state, being emitted from places like the coal burning power plants in Bow and Newington.

He said lead has been linked to learning disabilities, violent behavior and Attention Deficit Disorder, and is dangerous to animals. The legislature knows this, and recently passed a bill banning all lead sinkers for fishing. The Family Physician said it would take 1.33 million lead sinkers a year to equal the  amount of lead that will be released legally from this plant. A resident read the warning on the lid of a can of wood stain, talking about the dangers of breathing dust while scraping paint. It said pregnant women and children should not be exposed to the dust at all, and warned everybody else to wear a certified mask or call disease control if exposed.

The Biochemistry Professor urged residents not to overlook the dangers posed by dioxins in the air. While lead and mercury are elements, dioxins are compounds of atoms that will accumulate in body tissue and [can] cause mutations in DNA. These mutations are also known as cancers. Japan has had  many incinerators and in the 1900s they noticed high rates of cancer linked to the incinerators in their population, and have since vowed to eliminate dioxin release in their incinerators.

Another resident asked a BioEnergy Manager whether he agreed that lead, mercury and dioxins posed this risk. The Manager replied "Yes, we have taken these risks into consideration. That's the reason we asked for an assessment." The Manager said the study was done during a time of highest concentration, and the numbers were well within the legal limits for the state.

REACH member Ron Lajoie responded, "Those limits are based on antiquated studies. There are no safe levels of lead." Lajoie said officials in Henniker and Hopkinton have made the mistake over the years of trusting the state to protect their communities. He said, "the state is not capable of safeguarding your community."

There have been a number of reasons sited as to why Bio Energy should not have been granted a permit from the NHDES (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services). The Shoreline Protection Act states that no smokestack can be within 250 feet of water, but it was waived without reason sited, and despite there being no mechanism within the Act to waive it. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Inspector Hugh Kaufman has said abutters were never notified making the application incomplete, BioEnergy failed to say a member had been convicted of a felony in the past five yars (for witness tampering) also making the application incomplete. A Participant said a wetlands study was never conducted because BioEnergy sited no potential impact to wetlands even though the river is within 250 feet and there are 2448 acres of lakes and wetlands within  a five mile radius.

The Town of Hopkinton is currently in court to make BioEnergy go to site plan review, but thus far the courts have ruled the NHDES preempted local control and the town has no right to enforce their cease and desist order. On October 8th there will be a public viewing of the plant with the Judge before the parties go to the courthouse in hopes of settling on a statement of fact. Lajoie said BioEnergy has filed a motion to prohibit the public from the viewing for safety concerns, but REACH encourages people to meet at the Rowell Bridge at 8:00am to show their opposition to the plant.

REACH member Scott Flod said "We need your town to get organized. When we have enough towns saying this is dangerous, things will change."

The Boston Globe says Massachusetts has recently banned construction debris from landfills in their state, so a market could be forming to accept the debris in New Hampshire for incineration. REACH has identified eight other plants in the state that appear to be waiting to see how things go in Hopkinton before going online.