In a May 19, 2011, letter to the Springfield Republican, Sylvia Brandt (resource economics and public policy) questions the findings of a recent report about the impacts of a proposed biomass energy plant in East Springfield.
The report, produced by consultants hired by Palmer Renewable Energy, claims that the proposed plant will not harm public health. Brandt, a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Council on Clean Air Compliance, argues the opposite, noting that the plant will greatly increase local pollution through higher emissions from the large-scale burning of wood and increases in truck traffic.
Brandt cites EPA data suggesting that emissions from the plant could be anywhere from 4 to 16 times higher than that reported by the Palmer Renewable Energy consultants.
Also, according to Brandt’s calculations, “the cost of the health effects from the traffic alone would be approximately $1.53 million a year.”
Brandt calls for more extensive review of the proposed plant, noting that “[it] violates all principals of environmental justice to forgo an independent study.”
Brandt’s letter to the editor can be read in full here.