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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Questions Abound Over Bio Plant

By Matt Gomez
Mountain View Telegraph
    Discussion ranged from air pollution to allergy relief at a public hearing Tuesday on an air quality permit for a proposed 35-megawatt biomass power plant southwest of Estancia.
    Biomass is an alternative energy source that relies on burning organic materials— small-diameter trees and brush, in this case— to produce electricity.
    Jack Maddox, vice president of Western Water and Power Production, described the plant's proposed method of power production— bubbling fluidized bed combustion— as a very efficient combustion system with low emissions.
    "We're a thousand times cleaner than open burning," Maddox said.
    In addition to providing a cleaner method of reducing brush and overgrowth compared with existing thinning and open-burning methods, the plant could potentially increase the area's water supply, Maddox said.
    Because trees currently drawing water from rainfall would be harvested, Maddox said, rainfall in areas that have had trees removed could potentially increase the available water in the Estancia Valley.
    Maddox said the plant would offer a host of economic benefits, including creation of 20 to 30 permanent jobs at the plant, 100 to 150 construction jobs when the plant is being built and 50 to 100 forest and rangeland jobs over the lifespan of the facility.
    "We'll be trying to hire as many of those locally as possible," Maddox said.
    The reduction of biomass in the area could also reduce the risk of wildfire and increase the water supply "200 to 300 acre-feet a year" in areas where biomass materials are harvested, he said.
    After Maddox's presentation the floor was opened to questions, and almost immediately his claims that removing biomass could increase local water supply were questioned.
    Bryan Bird, program director of Forest Guardians, asked whether that water would be groundwater or surface water. Maddox replied that it's hard to say because studies on the effects of biomass harvesting and water supply increases are limited.
    Other concerns included impacts on roads utilized by the plant, how much water it would use and why the plant proposes to use water-cooling instead of air-cooling technology.
    Maddox said truck traffic would be split across several roads, so trucks wouldn't be constantly accessing the plant from just one point.
    The plant will consume about 400 acre-feet of water a year, he said, but that could be reduced if the plant is able to cooperate with local greenhouse operations to share some of the plant's "waste heat."
    Maddox said the plant is using water instead of air for cooling because of higher costs and power consumption associated with air-cooling technology.
    During public comment, several people spoke favorably of the proposed plant, citing its economic benefits to the area.
    Edgewood Town Councilor Chuck Ring said he hopes those opposed to the plant will "lower their shields" long enough to allow the plan to move forward, so jobs can be created and a method of providing renewable energy brought to life.
    Others focused on environmental and health impacts.
    Bud Latven of Tajique said the biomass plant is incorrectly being described as using a renewable resource. Unlike solar- and wind-generated power, he said, a biomass plant should not be considered renewable.
    "Forest growth is too slow to support the plant," Latven said.
    Maddox's claim that harvesting biomass would result in increased water was questioned by several people who said there simply isn't enough data to back up the claim.
    One woman went through the list of pollutants the plant would generate— including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and particulate matter— and listed the associated health risks.
    Estancia Mayor Martin Hibbs said he felt several people who spoke in opposition were skewing facts to make the project seem more dangerous.
    Claims that Maddox was manipulating information to make the plant seem more viable were ironic, Hibbs said, because he felt the opposition was manipulating information and imagery to make the plant seem worse than it actually is.
    The state Environment Department was scheduled to offer testimony during the hearing, but delayed that testimony until a later hearing in April because more time is needed to review new information regarding particulate matter emissions.
    For more information on upcoming public hearings for the biomass plant, contact the Environment Department's Air Quality Bureau at (505) 827-1494 and ask to be listed as an interested person.