[WestMALocals] Fw: [AriseAction] New Power Plant Just Outside Northampton??

[Owen Broadhurst]

----- Original Message -----
From: jajm4 <jajm4 at earthlink.net>
To: jajm4 <jajm4 at earthlink.net>
Subject: [AriseAction] New Power Plant Just Outside Northampton??
Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 11:14:07 -0400

> 
> A new power plant is proposed to be built here in the valley. The following
> information describes the proposed plant, and a public meeting being held to
> allow for public comment.
> 
> --------------
> 
> 
> 
> Wood Burning Biomass Power Plant
> 
> Coming Soon Near You?
> 
> Did you know that...
> 
> The proposed plant would be located in Russell (½ hour from Northampton) and
> be vented through a 300 foot smoke stack over the Pioneer Valley.
> 
> This is being planned by 5 mostly out of state owners (Makes you wonder- if
> it's such a great idea- why don't they put it in their own communities?)
> 
> It would burn 1 million cords of wood a year.
> 
> The burning would be non-stop, 24 hours a day- all year round.
> 
> Much of the so-called "wastes" it would burn are leaves or logging remains
> that otherwise would naturally compost and put nutrients back into the soil.
> 
> Other "wastes" it would destroy are live trees unsuitable for logging. These
> trees would otherwise be left growing in the forest.
> 
> They call this total destruction fo the forests "improving the health of the
> forest"!
> 
> There is no planned closing of any coal or oil fired plants, so the biomass
> would be in addition to other existing polluting plants- increasing overall
> emissions.
> 
> It would dump as much carbon into the atmosphere yearly as would otherwise
> naturally break down in hundreds of years (increasing global warming).
> 
> Wood smoke contains over 100 chemicals- some like Benzo(a)pyrene cause
> cancer. Many of us heat with wood already. Is adding the emissions from a
> million more cords of wood to the air healthy?
> 
> Trees naturally clean the air, removing carbon dioxide and giving back
> oxygen. Destroying millions of trees without replenishing them will lead to
> a dangerous carbon dioxide increase and a harmful reduction of oxygen in the
> air we breathe.
> 
> People in Russell would save in taxes $100 - $150 per person, per year but
> they will lose hundreds of times this as their home resale values drop
> ($25,000, $50,000 or more per house).
> 
> The Westfield river water would be used for cooling the plant. What effect
> would this have on the amount of bacteria, pesticides, and wastes in the
> river water? What effect on the fish, plants, forests, and people down
> stream?
> 
> The biomass factory would require 60 trucks per day (each hauling 5,000 lbs.
> of wood from MA, NY, RI, CT, VT, ME). That means that a big commercial truck
> would drive down Main Street in Russell every 8 minutes. This is a much
> higher level of noise and fumes than most people want to live with in their
> homes.
> 
> Residents of Stratton, VT (where there is an existing biomass pant) said
> that there is nowhere in town you can get away from the noise.
> 
> The E.P.A. has said that they would not approve this amount of truck traffic
> near the wetlands of the river, yet the children and townspeople who live
> along this route will be breathing these harmful levels of diesel every day.
> 
> This truck exhaust and that from chipping a million cords of wood are not
> even included in their environmental impact figures.
> 
> Since biomass would burning has a very low efficiency (in some cases as low
> as 20%) this high gas and oil use would waste equal to a large percentage of
> the energy the plant would produce. In a world with dwindling petroleum
> reserves, building a plant with this dependence on petroleum is foolish and
> irresponsible.
> 
> No effort has been made to plan a truly green business for this site. A wind
> plant would be ideally suited, have non toxic output and only benefit and
> profit the town instead.
> 
> The company planning this has made errors in the "facts" they publish. For
> example, they reported higher percentages of people surveyed in favor of the
> plant than actually exist. This is a 4th grade math error! (Does this give
> you a lot of confidence in their figures for the safety of the plant and for
> the level of emissions and their effects on your health?)
> 
> The town board members have pointed out that they cannot legally approve the
> plant if there are health hazards. Only 20 minutes total were allocated to
> public questions at the first hearing. More time will be available for
> public input at the next meeting, yet time is running out before the
> decision deadline in July.
> 
> *********************************************
> 
> The next meeting/hearing, open to everyone, will be held at Russell
> Elementary School, Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. Please come voice your
> questions and concerns. This is a decision that will have a significant
> affect on the environment in our valley for the rest of our lives.
> 
> Directions from Northampton (about a half hour drive):
> 
> Take route 66 (West St.) until it ends at route 112 (approximately 11-12
> miles).
> 
> Go left (south) on 112 until it crosses the Westfield river and ends at
> route 20 (approx. 3-4 miles),
> 
> Go left (east) on route 20 until you come to the outskirts of Russell
> (approx 3 miles, maybe less).
> 
> Go left on Highland St (If you pass Main St. you have missed it).
> 
> The school is at the end of Highland St, the meeting is in the gym, which is
> on the right through separate doors.

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