Appeal Filed on Emissions Permit Issued to Pellet Plant
By 250 News
The new Pacific BioEnergy plant is not yet up and running, but an appeal has been filed to try and revoke, or at the very least, revise the emissions permit. (photo opinion250 staff )
An appeal has been filed with the Environmental Appeal Board in B.C. on the permit granted to the Pacific BioEnergy Pellet plant in Prince George.
The appeal has been filed in the name of three Canada Post employees and names Jo Graber as the agent acting on their behalf. The appeal includes a petition with the names of 91 Canada Post employees who work on the site closest to the new pellet plant and cites 7 grounds for having the permit revoked.
The grounds include (but are not limited to):
- The Director (Ministry of the Environment) didn’t adequately consider the impact on the health of the appellants,
- that the plant should have been re-located outside the Airshed ,
- the impact of the plant could have been reduced by improved emission controls, higher stacks and reduced product production,
- that the Ministry didn’t consider the cumulative impact of the plant emission and the existing emission sources on the Canada Post workers,
- that the Ministry and Pacific BioEnergy failed to give notice to Canada Post employess and others in the vicinity even though organizations such as the Prince George Air Quality Implementation Committee and PACHA recommended they do so.
When the permit was issued, the Ministry of the Environment noted the modeling indicated the plant’s emissions would most likely impact those north of the plant. The modeling indicated there was, more often than not, a northerly flow of air. The Ministry says that at the time, they advised Pacific BioEnergy to talk with its neighbours.
Pacific BioEnergy’s CEO Scott Folk says they did talk with many of their neighbours in the BCR site, “Unfortunately, the Postal Workers were overlooked, I was by a couple of days ago so communication has been established.” The plant is still in the set up stage and hopes to be fully operational by early September.
The appellant’s agent, Jo Graber says it is the health of the workers that is the major concern. “Admittedly, the modelling on the air quality issues has shown the property north of the pellet plant will be the hardest hit. The studies show the emissions of Pm10 and Pm2.5 will be 4 to 5 times those experienced in other areas.”
Surprisingly, the People’s Action Committee for Healthy Air (PACHA) is not involved in this appeal. PACHA President Dave Fuller says they do support the process “We are the ones who put the postal workers in touch with Jo Graber, and while we are not actively involved, they do have our support.” Does that mean PACHA will be launching it’s own appeal? “No we will not, as it would overtax our resources” says Fuller. Those resources, says Fuller, are being put to use on another project, one he is not yet prepared to discuss publicly.
If the permit is not revoked, the appeal calls for some other action: It asks that the permit be revised to an emission level which will not impact the workers any more than the conditions which existed before the permit was issued. It also addresses the issue of development permits and that while a large section of the BCR site is up for rezoning for potentially “heavy industrial “ use, that there is a problem in the process as companies apply for their "permits’ after the building has already been constructed. The Appeal asks that future developers of heavy industry plants be required to monitor the background level of pollutants prior to completing their technical reports, and that developers obtain an environmental permit BEFORE they start construction of a new plant or alterations to an existing plant.
The permit issued to Pacific BioEnergy on July 4th, is one of the most stringent ever issued in Prince George. Not only does it set limits for emissions, it also calls for further emission improvements before the facility will be able to expand its production beyond certain levels. The permit must also be renewed in 2010 and will only be renewed if the Ministry of Environment accepts the plan for further emission reductions. The permit also carries a condition that requires the plant to use only one dryer on any days when there is an air quality advisory in Prince George. It is believed to be the first emissions permit with an air quality advisory link.
It could be months before the appeal is actually heard.
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Posted by: Chadermando on August 7 2007 7:33 AM
How come postal workers are more important than the crew working at the pellet plant?
And how come the postal plant is located in a sensitive air-shed if people are going to be sensitive?
Or if the Postal workers are that sickly, the government should have to relocate the postal jobs to someplace that doesn't generate taxes and could use the jobs, like Ft Ware. Lots of clean air up in Ft Ware, if you can stand the smell of cordite and a little dust. Easy solution, no need to go all postal over the situation. Heehee!
I've noticed that the cleaner the environment gets the more sickly the population seems to be. Asthma and dysfunctional people everywhere these days. Any ideas?
I can only imagine what my grand-kids are going to see, I wonder if I can take them for a tour of the pellet plant? Seemed to work for me. All us mill kids are healthier than the town kids through the decades I've been watching and wondering why the difference.