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BLUE RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE LEAGUE
332 Shady Grove Church Road ~
Winston-Salem, NC 27107 ~ Phone
(336) 769-0955 ~ Fax (336) 769-9198 ~ Email:
davidmickey@bellsouth.net
PRESS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
CONTACT:
David Mickey
336-769-0955
336-624-2412 (cell)
Janet Marsh
336-982-2691
Environmental Group
Challenges State To Protect Communities From Dirty Renewable
Energy Plants
Tuesday April 1- The Blue Ridge Environmental
Defense League (BREDL), a long-time critic of exemptions and
loopholes in North Carolina’s air quality program, yesterday
called on the state to exercise leadership in the development of
clean renewable energy. Legislation enacted by the General
Assembly in 2007 mandated the use of swine waste and poultry
litter to generate electricity and other biomass fuels are
allowed under the program.
The recommended actions to the Environmental Management
Commission (EMC) include steps to reduce toxic air pollution,
prevent the deterioration of North Carolina’s air quality
caused by additional ozone and soot emissions, and set strict
“low emissions” standards for renewable energy
facilities. Plants that burn poultry litter, such as those
proposed by Fibrowatt, are of particular concern to the group.
“We were alarmed by this legislation last year and
recognized the dangers these provisions presented,” said
David Mickey, a staff member with BREDL. “Now North Carolina
has the dirtiest renewable energy law in the country and we must
depend on the regulators to minimize the harm,” he
continued. “That would not be necessary if the General
Assembly had acted responsibly.”
Problems with the legislation are reflected in the group’s
recommendations yesterday:
• Minimize emissions by requiring all new
renewable energy facilities to meet a low emissions
standard for all renewable energy resources (no
exemptions);
• Apply North Carolina’s toxic air pollution
rules to all existing and proposed energy facilities;
• Expedite rulemaking for the adoption of acceptable
ambient levels (AALs) for toxic air pollutants after
recommendations from the Science Advisory Board;
• Produce guidance documents and require testing of
renewable energy resources prior to their use as fuels;
• Adopt strict definitions of qualifying biomass
fuels that specifically exclude municipal solid waste and
contaminated wood waste;
• Encourage alternative uses of organic energy
resources that minimize emissions and encourage their
highest and best use;
• Require multiple pathway modeling of human
exposure to toxics that includes all possible pathways
and potential risks to human health;
• Account for the full range of greenhouse gas
emissions associated with renewable energy.
“North Carolina is headed down the road to
becoming the dirty energy state,” Mickey said. “We want
this state to be known for leading the way toward safe, clean
renewable energy, not more waste, pollution and dirty air. We
look forward to working with the Commission to establish a clean
renewable energy industry in North Carolina,” he concluded.
The Environmental Management Commission has established an
Alternative Energy Committee to evaluate the need for renewable
energy regulations and the ability of the state to provide proper
oversight of these new facilities. As a first step in that
process, the committee solicited scoping comments from the
public. The comments submitted on Tuesday were the League’s
response.
Comments to the EMC and supporting documents are available on the
organization’s website at www.bredl.org
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More info:
March 31, 2008: David
Mickey's comments on the NC Environmental Management
Commission’s development of environmental standards for
renewable energy facilities in North Carolina.
Poultry power is dirtier than coal. Poultry Litter versus Coal-fired Power Plants: An
Air Pollution Comparison - The graph illustrates the negative
air pollution impacts of power plants powered by poultry litter
compared with boilers fired by coal.
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