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NEWS FLASH!

Oregon Toxics Alliance Appeals Biomass Plant Air Permit

November 6th
Press Release

On 11/6/09, OTA filed an appeal under the rules governing the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency to ask the LRAPA Board to reconsider the air permit to the Seneca Biomass Plant. The Board will decide if they will consider our appeal, or not. The appeal is a public document. You may contact OTA if you would like to help us pursue our goal of ensuring the strongest air pollution controls and protecting public health under LRAPA’s permitting process for new industries in Lane County. You may also contact LRAPA to express your concerns.

Hear OPB's news story
(mp3 file requires a media player)

Oregon Toxics Alliance challenges conditions of the pollution permit and lack of responsiveness to public health concerns in the case of the Seneca biomass energy plant.

Citing problems with the process and the stipulations, Oregon Toxics Alliance is appealing to the Board of Directors of the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency for a reconsideration of the recently issued air discharge permit. The appeal was filed on Friday, November 6 under Section 14 of the Agency’s rules on appeals.

The appeal questions five conditions in the air pollution permit that the Agency awarded to Seneca Sustainable Energy, LLC on October 7, 2009 for the construction of their co-generation biomass plant. The Alliance contends many conditions of the permit were improperly applied or were arbitrary about how pollution data is collected and the consequences of excess pollution.

The Alliance is using an avenue provided by Agency rules that allows an interested party to ask the Board to issue a declaratory ruling as to the applicability of any facts related to the permit.

“OTA’s team of experts have determined that the air pollution permit issued by LRAPA does not require adequate control equipment or monitoring protocols,” said Alliance Executive Director Lisa Arkin. “The permit determines how well a polluting industry can reduce their contribution to unhealthy air and excess greenhouse gas emissions.”

Apart from the air pollution that is normally covered under the Clean Air Act, there is also the question of reducing greenhouse gases. The US EPA has determined that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant. The biomass co-generation plant will emit at least 234,000 tons of carbon dioxide each year.

“That is the equivalent of adding the emission from 26,175 extra cars to the Eugene-Springfield area every year, which is not the best way to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Arkin.

November 6th
Press Release
(PDF)

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