Dec 28 2010
An emergency ordinance has been approved by the Thurston County Commissioners for a one year moratorium period on new projects dealing with wood waste to energy conversion in Thurston County.
In the interim, Olympic Region Clear Air Agency Engineers have suggested the approval for a permit to govern air pollution from the Mason County’s Adage Wood Waste burning power plant. Both the actions were the latest follow up steps to an ongoing debate on the merits of energy generation from wood debris.
This action from the County could in combination with the state budget problems affect the $14 million Evergreen Biomass Project proposed in the Evergreen State College Campus. The moratorium was mainly invoked to respond to the concerns of the citizens with regard to the five biomass projects on the Olympic Peninsular region inclusive of the Evergreen project. Don Krupp, County Administrator, mentioned that it would give the commissioners some time to gain knowledge about the various aspects of the biomass projects especially, air emissions from gasification and wood-burning plants and to co-relate the biomass plants with the county land-use code.
According to Jason Wettstein, college spokesman, the college has not had time to comprehend what the moratorium would signify for the project. Todd Sprague, Relations Director of the college, remarked that the college would have decide by the middle of March if they would want to continue with the project, whose main aim was to decrease the usage of fossil fuels and hence decrease CO2 emissions.
The project faces stiff opposition from the residents who believe that the project is not a green energy or a sustainable low cost project. The finance for the project would be a $3 million in State Capital Budget Funds and a $3.7 million endowment from the State Department of Commerce. But according to Bill Cole, Commerce Official, the Commerce grants are given by the end of the current state budget biennium i.e. June 2011 to those applicants who are under contract, and that the $3 million was not included in the State Budget Proposal for 2011-2013 by the Governor Chris Gregoire.
The recommendation from the Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency Staff gives a public comment period for 40 days on the permit for the $250 Million project, which would consume around 600,000 tons of forest debris every year for generating energy to power 40,000 households.
Source: http://www.evergreen.edu