WildEarth Guardians

Thursday, May 24, 2007
Biomass Energy Project Halted In New Mexico

State Environment Secretary Cites Air Quality Concerns
Contact: Associated Press

Santa Fe, NM - Tuesday the New Mexico Secretary of Environment, Ron Curry, denied an air permit for a $74 million forest biomass electricity-generating facility. This facility would have emitted hundreds of tons of air pollution annually to produce 35 megawatts of electricity (enough for 28,000 homes) by burning virgin forest harvested from private, state, and federal lands. The Secretary cited the lack of support for a determination that the facility is not subject to rules under Prevention of Significant Deterioration. There is no precedent available to make this determination at this time.

"Burning forests for electricity is not part of our nation's clean energy future," said Bryan Bird, Public Lands Director at WildEarth Guardians. "As our leaders in Washington D.C. consider a national energy bill, we hope they hear this message loud and clear: Forest biomass is not clean and not always renewable. In addition to the air pollution, it takes as long as 200-300 years for a piñon or juniper tree to grow to maturity in New Mexico. So eventually, a biomass plant will end up mining our forests for energy."

The proponents of the biomass plant claimed that it would be greenhouse gas neutral, but the air permit application revealed that it would actually have been a major source of air pollution. The facility would emit nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide (230 tons of and 221 tons a year respectively) and as well as significant quantities of sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and PM10 particulate emissions. The biomass plant would have emitted over 50% of the nitrous oxides of a typical coal fired plant.

Residents in Torrance County, New Mexico became alarmed when the air quality impacts were made public in the permit proceedings.

"This is a victory for the health of our community, the preservation of clean air and the protection of our natural environment," Said Bud Latven, an affected resident, "Efforts to mine our forests for biomass energy in the Southwest were delivered a resounding defeat."

In addition to the air pollution generated by the energy facility, other environmental impacts were equally disturbing. The electricity plant would have required 400 to 500 thousand tons of chipped forest per year or 40 to 50 truck loads a day. The impacts on regional forests and water supply are undetermined, but potentially significant. County residents conveyed their fears directly to the Secretary of Environment at a community meeting hosted by the New Mexico Environment Department on May 9.

Live trees continuously absorb carbon from our atmosphere, but once cut can no longer provide that service. Deforestation is the second principle cause of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Furthermore, burning trees releases carbon monoxide which converts to carbon dioxide--a direct greenhouse gas--in the atmosphere. Besides the impacts to global warming, removal of trees from the forest eliminates biomass that would otherwise contribute to soil development and renewed grass, plant, and tree growth.

"We are relieved the Environment Department is putting the brakes on this energy plant because other civic leaders aren't asking the hard questions here in New Mexico or nationally," said Bird. "We are uncritically embracing forest biomass energy as a solution to our energy needs and forest health concerns, but we've put the cart before the horse. New Mexico's dry climate is better suited to other energy alternatives, like wind and solar."

For more information on the forest biomass plant go to: http://biomassinfo.blogspot.com/

Contact: Bryan Bird, WildEarth Guardians, (505) 501-4488, bbird@fguardians.org Bud Latven, Affected Resident, Torrance County, NM, (505) 344-3908 http://biomassinfo.blogspot.com/