ADAGE: Response to President LWV Issues

Below is a statement from Tom DePonty of ADAGE in response to the
issues presented to him by Sandra Herndon, LWV President. Some of these
issues have been raised by individuals inclined in favor and some by
those opposed to the incinerator. Some of ADAGE responses are helpful
while many raise further questions and/or lack specific detail.
ADAGE indicates they have agreed to a public forum sponsored by
KMAS (tentative date of Thursday, May 27). Please use this information
to help prepare questions for ADAGE.
These issues should also be addressed by our elected officials,
before they lend support to a project of such major significance. For
those officials who have already voiced support, it is incumbent upon
them to show us in a public forum that they have done their homework and
to explain to us how they have resolved these matters.
We need thorough and complete answers since we who live and work
here in the county--and our children--will bear the consequences of
their actions, on our health and our economy.


April 30, 2010

Subject: Information prepared by ADAGE in regards to inquiry from the League of Women
Voters regarding specific aspects of the ADAGE Mason County biomass project. The issues
raised by the League of Women Voters are in bold, with the ADAGE information below.

1. Effects on the air quality, particulates, etc.

• The ADAGE biomass facility will provide an alternative forest management option
that will reduce the need for the permitted forest management practice of slash pile
burning and allow for the recovery of the energy potential of forest residue left to
decay in the forest.
• ADAGE is employing advanced emission control technology that will produce some
of the lowest emission rates of any biomass project in the U.S. This includes specific
technology to control for:
o Particulate matter - a fabric filter baghouse
o Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) – Selective Catalytic Reduction System
o Chloride Emissions – Dry Sorbent Injection System
• The project will meet all state and federal air quality standards, which are designed to
protect public health, specifically the most vulnerable populations (children, the
elderly, and asthmatics).
• ADAGE submitted its air resource permit application to the state regulator, the
Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA), on April 1.
o There will be a 30 day public comment period starting in approximately
early June
o Followed by a public hearing likely in early July
• The ADAGE project must demonstrate that is meets all federal and state air quality
standards as validated by ORCAA or a permit will not be issued.
o The ADAGE air permit application and review process is available on the
ORCAA website.
• The plant is equipped with a continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) that
assures the plant operates within the permit limits.
o The CEMS data will be provided to the state regulators on a regular basis to
ensure the plant operates within its limits.

2. Adequacy of water and sewer capacity as well as water supply

• During peak usage the City of Shelton delivers 7500 gallons per minute (gpm) of
water. ADAGE’s peak usage would roughly be only 1% of the total water use for the
City of Shelton.
• ADAGE will utilize technology designed to eliminate steam system cooling water
usage (the major use of water in power production facilities). According to the
Electric Power Research Institute a typical cooling tower system for a 55 MW facility
would require a water withdrawal of 550gpm and 480gpm would be lost to
evaporation (www.mydocs.epri.com/docs/public/000000000001006786.pdf).
• The ADAGE facility will not withdraw any water for steam cooling system purposes.
The facility will use approximately 35 to 50 gpm of which 25 to 45 gpm will be
returned to the City of Shelton’s treatment system for recovery.
• The maximum water use would be 60 to 80 gallons per minute during unusual
circumstances.
o For comparative purposes, a hose bibb (a garden faucet) is equivalent to
about 5 to 7 gpm.
o On average the ADAGE facility is equal to 126 to 180 typical family homes
(according to the EPA the typical family home uses 400 gallons of water per
day - http://epa.gov/watersense/pubs/supply.html)
• The water will be supplied by the city of Shelton – according to city officials, Shelton
has sufficient water supply to support the plant along with long-term expansion and
growth.
o The City of Shelton is extending a 16 inch water main to the John’s Prairie
area.
o This water line will have a capacity of 1500 gpm
o This capability will support long term growth in the John’s Prairie area as
well as meet the water needs for the ADAGE plant which will connect
directly into the new water line.
• ADAGE will make payments to the City of Shelton to cover its fare share of the
capital cost of the new water line.

3. Disposition of wastewater and pollution concerns

• On average the City of Shelton’s main wastewater treatment plant treats over 1000
gallons per minute, so the ADAGE facility on average would be roughly 3.5% of the
total water treated on average.
• The non-contaminated wastewater from the ADAGE facility will be in the range of
25 to 40 gallons per minute, will be discharged to an enclosed tank and then be
directed to the Shelton wastewater treatment plant via the sewer system.
o There will be no discharge into the rivers, lakes or Oakland Bay
o The wastewater will meet the city wastewater discharge specs including
temperature
o According to city officials, Shelton has sufficient wastewater capacity to
accommodate the facility
o New sewer line connections would be paid for by ADAGE
• ADAGE will mitigate stormwater runoff that may occur by installing holding basins.
A DOE-approved stormwater management plan is a necessary condition for both
construction and operation of projects in Washington State.

4. Ash residue, composition, use, and disposal

• The facility will produce non-hazardous wood ash similar to what can be found in a
typical household fireplace.
• There will be an average of 3 - 4 truckloads per day.
• ADAGE is exploring beneficial uses for the ash.
o Ash from clean wood biomass facilities has been used in other locations as a
soil enhancement and/or in road construction materials like cement.
• In the event that these alternative uses are not available, ADAGE will deliver the
material to the licensed Roosevelt Landfill in Klickitat County

5. Effects on traffic flow and road infrastructure

• There will be an average of 100 delivery/supply trucks per day, primarily for biomass
deliveries – Monday-Friday – an average of 6 trucks per hour between 7 am and 10
pm.
• ADAGE is currently performing a traffic study to determine the best method for
feedstock and supply delivery to the facility, while minimizing local traffic impact on
supply routes and major intersections.
• According to Mason County roads staff, the major supply road to the plant (John’s
Prairie Road) is heavy-duty, year-round winter road.

6. Actual permanent employment for the county residents, including level of
opportunities

• As early as the end of 2010 ADAGE could begin hiring local employees for the
construction of the facility for a ramp up to over 400 construction jobs.
• Over 125 direct jobs will be created in plant operations and feedstock supply
o 24 full time jobs in facility operations – These will be the plant managers
and operators.
o Over 100 jobs in the woods harvesting, processing and delivering the
feedstock for the facility – These will be jobs in the logging industry.
• In addition the project will provide create 75 jobs in the local community supporting
the operation of the plant and the employees – This will include businesses like
restaurants, service stations, and retail shops.
• It is in the best interest of ADAGE to hire local employees as much as possible.
ADAGE intends to work with local contractors and training organizations to support
the project.

7. Financial cost to county through “sweetheart” tax deals

• ADAGE has not made any agreements with the County or other municipality on tax
payments. ADAGE will pay its fare share of taxes to the applicable taxing authorities
and is researching the level of payments required.

8. Affordable electricity made available for the county

• ADAGE is currently marketing the power output of the project and would welcome
interest from local customers.

Break in the Action

Even bloggers need a break sometimes. I've been on the East Coast for the last few days away from the internet. But I'll be back April 28 and ready to get back in the game.

I do hope that any of you who attend the Port of Shelton or county meetings will share with me what happens today, April 27. The Port meets at 2 pm at 21 Sanderson Way. The county has a couple of public meetings: the Board of Health at 300 pm and then the Board of County Commissioners meet at 6 pm.

Then tomorrow Wednesday there's the joint meeting of the port, city, county and PUD 3 at 10 am in the PUD3 auditorium.

Please, do let me know how these meetings go. I do want to know whether there is any discussion by any citizen or elected official of ADAGE at any of these meetings.

ADAGE: Open Letter from President LWV Mason County

I've received permission to post the below open letter from Sandra Herndon, President, League of Women Voters Mason County. Why wouldn't our elected officials be seeking out answers to our questions and sharing what they know with the public? This is especially true for those elected officials who've made up their minds about bringing ADAGE to Mason County.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN April 22, 2010

Here is a partial list of concerns about the ADAGE incinerator project voiced by residents of Mason County (from those inclined toward the project as well as from those inclined against):

*effects on the air quality, particulates, etc.
*adequacy of water and sewer capacity as well as water supply
*disposition of wastewater and pollution concerns
*ash residue, composition, use, and disposal
*effects on traffic flow and road infrastructure
*actual permanent employment for the county residents, including level of opportunities
*financial cost to county through "sweetheart" tax deals
*affordable electricity made available for the county.

Citizens of Mason County are well-educated and well-informed. They seek specific, detailed, factual information, not generalities or public relations pieces, in order to determine if this project is in the county’s best interests. The fundamental question is this: Given the fragile ecosystem and the employment needs in this area, how does this project improve the existing situation compared with any actual and potential damage?

Sandra L. Herndon, President
League of Women Voters of Mason County

ADAGE: April 20 News

What a day, Mason County! I attended three interesting meetings that I'd like to share with you. This may be a lengthy post. I'll say sorry up front.

1. Board of County Commissioners Meeting: Tim and Lynda thought this meeting was going to be a short one with just a few items on the consent agenda and no public hearings. The citizens of Mason County had other plans. People I've never seen in the commissioners' chambers showed up today to speak out.

• A young mother spoke of how she has two small boys that she wants to protect from toxins. She reminded us of the toxic waste disposed of by ITT Rayonier.
• A former submariner who now works for the hospital spoke out on what it's like to watch patients with respiratory disease suffer.
• A marine biologist spoke on her expertise and commitment to cleaning up Hood Canal. She very bravely told the commissioners that some voters within the county are exploring efforts to recall the commissioners.
• A long time citizen of the county who is usually quiet spoke with the best questions. She asked for a public hearing on ADAGE. To which the commissioners gave their pat answers: too soon because no application for permit has been received from ADAGE, any questions you want answered Lynda Ring Erickson will forward to ADAGE, go talk to the Port of Shelton, keep on seeking out answers from ADAGE etc etc. "Pass the buck" responses from our elected officials aren't working for me.
• Tim Sheldon did not deny the recent quote in the Mason County Daily News that he was "an unabashed 100% supporter of ADAGE". Nor could he tell us why he is now behind the construction of an incinerator in Mason County. He was reminded by this blogger that he is a leader and that we expect him to hold public sessions for the citizens to have their questions answered prior to any decisions being made.
• Lynda Ring Erickson either lied today, has a very poor memory or has been slighted as county commissioner. She claims to only recently have become aware of what ADAGE is about. On Jan 29 I know she was present at the joint city, county, PUD3, port meeting with ADAGE and their slick power point slides. (I worked at the Pentagon - home of slick power point slides. I know slick power point slides.) At this meeting ADAGE (Lee Torrence) offered to brief individually these twelve commissioners. I can only presume the reason for the individual briefings was being done to avoid the Open Meetings Act. (I understand that following the meeting she hired an attorney to represent her in this process. Real life in Mason County sometimes is better than fiction.)
• Tim Sheldon says there have been "no under the table meetings". Everything has been upfront. But we did learn that ADAGE had spoken at a Rotary meeting per Tim. Interesting. Hadn't heard that before.

2. League of Women Voters Mason County Meeting: Following the county commissioners' meeting State Auditor Brian Sonntag spoke on his role in government and what conflicts of interest are all about. One of the questions we had for him today was when are public hearings required? Here's what I got from his answer. While there may not be a legal requirement for public hearings, why wouldn't an elected official want to hear from the public? Challenge the elected officials sensibility and, if necessary, shaming an elected official is an effective short term solution. The long term solution is to let your vote be the final word. He went on to say that public trust is very fragile and that public officials create public trust through open public meetings and open public records. This was a timely topic for Mason County, don't you agree?

3. Port of Shelton Commissioners Meeting: Here's what I learned at this meeting.

• The Port hired Paul Roberts, a consultant, to help them with planning and they offered his services to Mason County as they work the SEPA for ADAGE.
• The Port looks for businesses that they consider are a "good fit". There are no criteria that they use to make this determination. It's a "subjective decision" per Jay Hupp. Talk about bureaucratic mumbo jumbo.
• ADAGE may give funds to this area to help pay for roads, sewer, and water line per Jay. Operative word here is "may".
• The Port engaged in a feasibility study agreement with ADAGE some time back. Started off at 120 days and then they added 90 days two more times. If I got this right, the Port and ADAGE have been doing this feasibility study now for nearly one year.
• John Dobson, said that working with ADAGE reminds him of when he used to sell cars.
• The ball fields are in fact about 1400 feet from where the Port thinks ADAGE will build.
• ADAGE won't be using John's Prairie/SR3 intersection because nothing would be coming from the north eastern part of the county. Expectation now is that they will use rail primarily.
• Commissioner Wallitner is excited and impressed with ADAGE. Wholeheartedly stated that he's "in favor".
• Commissioner Miles wants to hear from the public and needs more information.

If today had been a ball game and I was the scorekeeper, the citizens would be ahead of the elected officials. Mason County, keep the pressure on. Shaming is our best strategy at this time.

Briefings - Apr 19

Here's a quick update on what came from today's briefings. Ross was absent today.

• ADAGE: No mention of this until three citizens sitting in the peanut gallery insisted on talking about it. Tim told us that we really need to focus on the Port of Shelton commissioners not the county. After the meeting Tim promised to provide an information paper to the public on the process for ADAGE application for construction of their facility. By the way, Port of Shelton commissioners meet on Tuesdays at 2 pm at 21 West Sanderson Way, Shelton.
• John's Prairie/State Route 3 Intersection: Public Works briefed that Department of Transportation is holding a meeting with businesses in that area on April 28. I asked were private citizens also invited to this discussion and was told it's a DOT meeting and they would make that call as to who is included. I haven't had time to call and pester DOT to find out the time and place for this meeting.

That's all for today.

ADAGE: Open Forum Time

Tomorrow at 9 am the Board of County Commissioners will hold their regularly scheduled weekly public meeting. Near the beginning of the meetings they allow the public to speak for five minutes or so for a total of 15 minutes. The Board holds these public meetings Tuesdays 9 am except for the fourth Tuesday of the month meeting which is at 6 pm.

Having attended these meetings now for more than a year, I must say that for the most part people don't speak out.

Lets face it most people don't have the time or inclination to attend these weekly meetings.

But here's my point. I've never heard a citizen speak about ADAGE during the open public forum time before the county commissioners. Nary a word.

Will tomorrow's Board of County Commissioner meeting at 9 am in the Commissioners' Chambers be different?

ADAGE: Fatal Flaw in Plans?

Here are my key questions regarding the proposed construction of ADAGE:

• what will happen to our air quality both from the incinerator and the increased truck traffic?
• where will the funds for road improvements and maintenance come from and will they identified and available prior to operation of the incinerator?
• what is the water supply source within the city now that the water line is being paid for by PUD3 rate payers?
• how is the 100 degree (F) waste water being disposed of and what will that do to our marine environment?
• do we have a sustainable supply of woody bio mass in a 50 mile radius to feed this 24/7 operation?
• will the energy produced be at a low enough cost that others will want to purchase?

Tim Sheldon says he is an "unabashed, 100 per cent supporter of it (ADAGE) and what the company wants to do locally." (Mason County Daily News, "The Green File: Local Legislators Report on Current Session", April 9, 2010)

Are there fatal flaws to the courting of ADAGE that our elected officials have apparently engaged in?

If this plan is solid and there are no fatal flaws, then why wouldn't they hold a meeting in a public setting to answer our questions?

Amazing that the Chair of the Mason County Board of County Commissioners (Ross Gallagher) isn't holding a public meeting. Isn't he up for reelection this year?

ADAGE: Road Improvement Funding

For background see my January 13, 2010 blog posting, "Connecting the Dots".

At the legislative planning meeting (Jan 6, 2010) Norm Dicks and Patty Murray's staff representatives were clear that federal road money to connect State Route 3 (at John's Prairie Road) and Highway 101 would be difficult to get funded. The city estimated $20 million for Wallace Kneeland improvements while the county's estimate to get SR3/John's Prairie Road intersection fixed was estimated at $18 million. State legislators Tim Sheldon and Fred Finn were at this meeting also but did not give hope that the state will fund these essential road improvements.

So where is this bundle of money coming from to fix these roads prior to ADAGE construction being approved? Or will our elected officials simply add additional diesel heavy trucks to the hazardous conditions that already exist?

BOCC Meeting - April 13

All three commissioners were in attendance. Just one issue to cover this week from the Board meeting.

Accrued Leave Fund: Our county commissioners are treating this fund the same way the Federal government balances its budget: pushing what's owed to the future. I refer to this as the "Scarlett O'Hara approach" to public policy.

On yesterday's agenda the commissioners approved the revision of the county personnel policy by discontinuing the payment of unused sick leave for employees who are going off the rolls. This policy change will not apply to current employees but will apply to non-union employees hired after April 13. At this time non-union employees account for less than 25% of total county staffing. The cows are out of the barn and our commissioners are swatting at flies by just revising the county's personnel policy.

Lynda Ring Erickson did not want to allow my questions about how the BOCC is ignoring Mason County Resolution 70-04 which established a target schedule for fully funding this liability which for Dec 31, 2009 came to $3.3M of which $2.3M is for Current Expense or General Fund employees. Since Dec 2008 this unfunded liability has increased by $800K. We're heading in the wrong direction.

The target schedule which the commissioners continue to ignore requires 2010 Accrued Leave Fund to be funded at 75% of what we owed employees at the end of 2008. Instead of the mere $355K provided by the commissioners in the 2010 budget, the target schedule would have this account funded at $1.2M. Quite a difference there.

At the end of March with one fourth of the year lapsed, we'd already spent more than one third of the money set aside for 2010. It appears that just looking at this on a straight line basis, the $355K amount budgeted will not be enough to cover money owed to terminated employees for this year.

It's not hard to figure out why Lynda Ring Erickson didn't want to talk about this problem yesterday. That's what Scarlett O'Hara would have done also.

ADAGE: ORCAA Meeting April 13

The second ORCAA meeting (April 13) went well with Gordon Lance answering the questions of 20 to 25 citizens for about an hour and a half. I'll list what I learned and then I encourage others who were there to chime in with their comments.

• The process provided in my April 5 blog post ("ORCAA Process for ADAGE Permit") tracks well with what Gordon described yesterday.
• He added a bit more info on two levels to the appeal process. Appeals to the ORCAA decision following the public hearing will be before the Pollution Control Hearing Board (PCHB). This board's ruling could then be appealed in Thurston County Superior Court.
• In the case of faulty application of the laws or faulty data, the federal Environmental Protection Agency will provide the final review. To appeal to EPA you'll need a lawyer and you must be a stakeholder who has spoken out at the ORCAA public hearing.
• Only those who are on record at the ORCAA public hearing stating that they have a problem with the construction of this facility will be allowed to appeal a decision in favor of the ADAGE construction.
• Because ADAGE submitted it's application first, the Simpson bio mass burning facility could be denied simply because ADAGE will have already tipped the air quality nearer to an unsafe level.
• ORCAA (Gordon Lance) will issue his decision. Assuming the ORCAA decision is okay with the ADAGE construction, ORCAA must wait for the Mason County SEPA process approval before issuing the ORCAA permit to ADAGE.
• ORCAA will only be looking at the emissions from trucks inside the ADAGE fence only. Those diesel trucks driving down Railroad Avenue or Highway 3 will not be factored into the possible degradation of our air quality. However, emissions from these diesel trucks should be included in the SEPA.

That's what I caught. Please add your comments to the blog, if you were there. For that matter, I welcome comments and corrections from everyone.

Thanks for reading my blog.

ADAGE: ORCAA Meetings

Yesterday (April 12) a small group visited ORCAA (Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency). I was not there but would love to hear what happened. Can anyone post as a comment or send me an email so that all of us can hear about this meeting? I understand Lynda Ring Erickson is an ORCAA board member and that she sat in on yesterday's meeting which included 12 private citizens.

Also heads up. There is another meeting with ORCAA again today (April 13) at 2PM with Gordon Lance. Today's visit will include a physician from Massachusetts, Dr Sammons who has expertise on respiratory disease and particulate matter. I understand the setting is relaxed and a great opportunity for all of us to learn more about the proposed ADAGE incinerator.

I urge everyone to refer to the ADAGE facility as an incinerator. The ADAGE President (Reed Wills) hates that noun or title. He likes to refer to their facility as a "boiler". But let's all stay focused on what's going to be happening in Mason County. ADAGE will be burning 600,000 tons of woody biomass.

Ross Gallagher told me on Saturday that this facility will be able to burn all our Christmas trees there. Just think of this Christmas Tree City will be burning it's Christmas trees so that we can produce electricity for California. Does this make sense?

Yes, for your elected officials - it makes sense. In this same conversation with Ross he practically was walking on clouds when he shared with me that ADAGE will produce $20M dollars in sales tax. But what Ross didn't say was the lion's share of the $20M will go to help the State of Washington balance the books at that level. Check me on this - 6.5% of $250M goes to the state which comes to $16M on my calculator. Then the governor and the state legislators can decide how that will be spent.

That should help all of us understand why our State Senator Tim Sheldon, who often appears as our County Commissioner, now says he's 100% behind ADAGE.

Pesky citizens are not necessarily disrespectful or rude when we ask questions. In fact, I believe it is my job to ask questions and attempt to be informed. I want to understand what the costs and benefits are as the decision is made to allow the ADAGE incinerator to burn adjacent to the MCRA ball fields.

Hope to hear from all of you soon.

Briefings - Apr 12

Tim was absent today for the briefings.

• ADAGE was never mentioned in more than two hours of briefings. Amazing that Community Development, Utilities, Public Health, and Public Works were all briefing Ross and Lynda at some point but ADAGE never came up. Go figure.
• Mark your calendars. A joint meeting of Port, City, PUD3 and the County will be held on Apr 28 at 10 am. Maybe ADAGE will come up at this meeting.
• The budget was briefed by the Auditor's office. Lynda stated that budget was sound except for outstanding union contract negotiations. Ross says Tim is going to be proven wrong - the glass is in fact half full. To which Lynda added there will be no double dip recession as predicted by (my words follow) the absent commissioner who has a degree in economics.
• Public Works (Charlie Butros) briefed that he and his fellow department heads are recommending the county phase in the implications of marine recovery area as defined by state law. Instead Mason County will identify marine "sensitive" areas which will be less restrictive giving the county greater flexibility. And then out of the blue, Ross asked the key question: does this meet state muster? To which Charlie Butros replied: yes the state understands. Say what, Charlie?
• Utilities (Emmett Dobey) told the commissioners that there has been some hysteria in Belfair regarding dirty water disposition by the BWWTF contractor. The public unnecessarily got Department of Ecology involved. Names of these citizens were called out at this briefing today in response to the request of the commissioners. I won't repeat the pesky citizens' names here. But if your ears are ever burning on Monday mornings, it could be someone is talking about you especially if you have spoken up about something that you think is wrong. Go you, pesky citizens!
• Emmett deserves a direct quote in my blog posting today. Belfair Waste Water Treatment Facility construction is "on budget". We'll be keeping an eye on this for you, Mason County.
• The Landfill/Transfer Station has seen an increase in revenue somewhere around $20K Emmett reported with a note of optimism. Ross then says: so can we increase the hours the facilities are open? To which Emmett replies: don't recommend increasing the hours and we may want to cut hours even further. That optimistic note sure wore off quickly.

That's all Mason County. You gotta love it.

BOCC Meeting - April 6

With all the ADAGE coverage, I failed to recap last week's public board meeting. All three commissioners were there for the entire meeting.

• Belfair Waste Water Treatment Facility: The BOCC approved the contract with EnviroIssues to provide "Side Sewer Communications Coordination and Construction Outreach Support" at a cost of $221K. The cost per contract hour comes to $93.52. Not bad wages in a county with such high unemployment. The budget line continues to be "clear as mud", a phrase that you'll find used frequently as we discuss whatever is happening in the county commissioner chambers. Tom Moore couldn't answer what was remaining of the contingency funds set aside for a $40M dollar construction effort fraught with uncertainty and risks in every step of this project. Kudos to Tim for having read the contract and for sharing with the public what deliverables are included in this contract. But when are our commissioners going to get it? With more than a quarter of the year lapsed, we do not have a complete budget description of what one third of the county's 2010 budget is being spent on. Here is a fact - not even one full page of the 2010 budget document is devoted to the BWWTF while over 160 pages are spent on the balance of the revenue and expenditures. This does not make sense to me.

• Storm Water Management Advisory Task Force: The BOCC approved this 28 member task force that includes five members who do not live in this county but will provide such essential expertise that they must be voting members of the task force. This task force will help to "craft financial options to fund storm water improvement activities". First of all when was the last time 28 people were able to get anything done in a timely manner? Secondly since when is it okay for someone who lives in Thurston County to come to Mason County and help us figure out how we want to be taxed? I was not surprised that all three commissioners felt this was honky dory. Am I a minority voice on this? Mason County, I think we may all want to keep an eye on this before we see it appear on our property tax statements. Then it may be too late.

• Corrections and Support Staff Bargaining Unit (IAM&AW Local Lodge W38): The BOCC approved the agreement between the county and this bargaining unit. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Monty Cobb couldn't tell us what the budget impact was exactly but he could tell us that for this 42 member unit the increase is somewhere between 1% and 6.5% and that for every one percent increase it will cost the county an extra $15K in 2010. The way I figure it's somewhere between $15K and $97.5K. Clear as mud, right? One bargaining unit down and 11 more to go. The big one is the Deputies Guild. Be watching here for more on this.

• KMAS sent a letter to the county protesting the use of the Shelton Mason Journal as the official newspaper for county official notices. This agenda action was tabled for further review.

• BOCC approved changing the HR/Budget Director position back to HR duties only. They couldn't tell us what budget duties are being omitted but could tell us that they'll contract out this work. Nor could they tell us how much they are saving. Clear as mud, right?

• Public Works announced that the county's annual chip seal contract was awarded. The County Roads account saved $20K because the awarded contract was less than the engineer's estimate. Another reason why a levy shift from Roads to Current Expense/General Fund are in order for 2011. And this is as clear as fresh spring water.

Hope to hear from you soon.

ADAGE: Public Input in a Public Setting

In yesterday's blog posting I brought up many questions about the proposed construction of the ADAGE facility.

Today I ask where are the county, city, port and PUD3 elected officials on taking public input in a public setting?

Other than the meeting on January 29 (see my blog posting Jan 31 "Knock Three Times") there hasn't been an opportunity for the public in public to ask questions. Let's face it at that meeting Ross Gallagher allowed only three questions and absolutely no public comment. That really did not count.

And those questions, that Lynda Ring Erickson shipped off for the ADAGE public affairs apparatus to answer, don't count either.

The ADAGE open house meetings on April 7 don't count as official public meetings either. We need a meeting where questions and answers can be heard by all so that we can begin to have a common understanding.

Meanwhile our local elected officials have been courting this company for months but cannot tell us what the public process will be as they decide whether to approve the construction of this facility.

I for one am incredulous that our elected officials aren't holding public meetings to allow folks to ask their questions or express their concerns whether for or against this project.

ADAGE: More Questions Than Answers

Yesterday I attended the two ADAGE sponsored meetings and the meeting of the Concerned Citizens of Mason County (CCMC), a group opposed to this new facility. The first ADAGE sponsored meeting was quite well attended but the evening meeting was less so. I estimate that between 65 to 70 attended the CCMC meeting. Media coverage, so far as I could see, was limited to KMAS covering only the evening meeting held by ADAGE. Fred Finn and Tim Sheldon were at the ADAGE meetings.

Here's what I understand after all those hours of asking questions and listening.

1. Air Quality: This appeared to be the big issue for most folks. I heard people say they don't think it's going to be a problem and I heard others who were quite concerned. Next week CCMC plans as a group to visit Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) to voice their concerns. More than a ton of woody bio mass will be burned every minute 24 hours per day and about 100 heavy trucks will bring fuel into this facility seven days a week. Do we want to have the MCRA ball fields up there adjacent to this facility? Not sure it makes sense to have a sports field adjacent to this facility.

2. Water Use and Capacity: I was told the ADAGE facility will use 80 gallons per minute. At the Jan 29 joint meeting of the city, county, port, and PUD3 this issue of water capacity came up. Here's an excerpt from my Jan 31 blog posting about this meeting. "...Dave O'Leary said the City has water rights but doesn't know whether the capacity is there or not...." Prior to the approval of ADAGE construction we need to have straight answers on where this water is coming from and what this means to the county's water table outside John's Prairie Basin. How does this water usage compare to other operations in the area? Are we near the tipping point on water levels for the county?

3. Waste Water: Those 80 gallons of water per minute end up as 20 to 30 gallons per minute of waste water at 140 degrees temperature. ADAGE will cool this to 100 degrees and then it will go into the City of Shelton sewer system. Will this waste water be damaging to our shellfish industry? Who's paying for the sewer lines from John's Prairie Industrial Park to the City sewer system?

4. Traffic: When I interviewed Reed Will, President of ADAGE Mason LLC, he was not aware of the road issue specifically the hazardous SR3/John's Prairie intersection. He agreed to see first hand the roads in and out of the proposed site. What's the plan at the state and county levels regarding the need for improved roads for truck traffic that will bring 600,000 tons of bio mass into this facility and then carry out the ash? And what about the maintenance of these roads? How many heavy trucks are on our roads now and how does this compare to the traffic that we already realize?

5. Tax Revenue & Cost to Taxpayer: I asked Mr Will how much taxes and permit fees they anticipate paying the county, city, port, and PUD3. He said that he'd get back to me on this. His company's fact sheet says they will generate $2 to $3 Million the first year. Now we need to understand better how this breaks down. Is it one time permit fees or what? Which municipality gets what? When the city, port and PUD3 made their water agreement did the city agree to taxing ADAGE at a lesser rate? How much is ADAGE getting from the federal government to build this facility and what are their deadlines? What will be the real cost to the tax payer. Do the benefits to the tax payer out weigh the costs?

6. Employment Opportunities: ADAGE claims in their fact sheet that during 2.5 years of construction we will see more than 750 jobs and post construction will be about 200 jobs: 24 are direct full time jobs operating the plant and about 100 are the truck drivers who'll bring in the woody bio mass. Can a third party verify these estimates? I understand there is a similar facility in Lockerbie, Scotland. What has been this community's experience? How many jobs have they seen?

7. Forest Degradation: What is the impact to our forests when we remove the slash? Are nutrients lost? Will ADAGE begin burning trees (round wood) if there isn't enough woody bio mass in a 50 mile radius of the facility?

8. Cost of Electricity: Some have noted that the projected cost of power would be too high for a local utility. I believe this is the whole point of building this facility.

That pretty much sums up what I understand. I have more questions than answers and look forward to receiving your comments on what you understand. Sorry this is so long. My husband says you definitely won't read this one.

ADAGE Approval Process Fragmented in Mason County

The way the county is going about this approval process is leaving me feeling less than secure that our elected officials are looking out for our best interest. (See my blog "Staff Driven" dated Dec 19, 2009 for more on how Mason County really works.)

On April 6 I asked the Department of County Development (DCD) what the county process will be and what I heard is that it is going to be quite fragmented. DCD Planning will take the SEPA (State Environmental Protection Act) application. DCD Building will get a piece of it to issue permits for building construction. Public Works or County Roads will consider traffic and transportation issues.

And get this: the county commissioners have no rulings or public hearings. The one county public meeting that must be held is before the Hearing Examiner.

As of April 6 around 1030 am DCD Planning had not received the SEPA application. That's at the county level.

But at the regional level the focus will be less diffused. Accordingly, the ORCAA review is the best place for us to learn more about whether ADAGE will cause a degradation to our air quality. On April 5 on this blog I posted what I learned about the issue of air pollution and the involvement of ORCAA.

There are more questions than just about air quality that need to be answered. Do we have the water supply capacity to support this operation? A question for the city since the water will be supplied via the PUD 3 financed water line going out to the Port. What happens to the waste water - where will it go? Will the waste water harm shellfish production in Oakland Bay? What about the woods - will the removal of slash damage the forests in the long run? Where does the ash go after the woody bio mass is burned? If there isn't enough slash will ADAGE resort to burning trees? If there isn't enough woody bio mass then will we then allow this facility to burn garbage?

I'm really concerned that we are going to be guinea pigs because this will be the first plant of its kind built by this multinational firm. ADAGE is a joint effort by Duke Energy and AREVA, a French firm that is mainly involved in nuclear facilities.

Now is the time for us to be involved and learn all that we can. It's going to take some real attention from all of us to protect the environment and the economy.

I plan to attend meetings today, April 7 and will ask questions and post answers. Please check back for more on this.

ORCAA Process for ADAGE Permit

After speaking with the Olympia Regional Clean Air Agency (ORCAA), here is what I understand the process will be.

o ORCAA received ADAGE application on April 1, 2010

o ORCAA will review the application and submitted data. That will take about 30 to 45 days. At the end of this period ORCAA will provide their findings.

o Public notice of the application will be advertised in the Olympian and Shelton Mason County Journal.

o The public will have a 30 day comment period to view the application and the data.

o After the 30 day period a public hearing will be held. The public will be able to submit comments on the application and ORCAA findings. Look for this to happen around the end of June or first of July 2010.

o After the public hearing is held and ORCAA has made a decision, the public can then appeal the findings.

I hope this helps with understanding what is happening regarding concerns of air degradation and the possible construction of the ADAGE facility.

I've heard that this facility will burn one ton of woody bio mass per minute. If this is true then we want strong verifiable proof that our air is not going to be polluted.

Commissioner Briefings - April 5

Here's a quick summary of the briefings. All three commissioners attended but no media. One other private citizen and I attended.

o First topic of discussion was the upcoming ADAGE meetings on Wednesday and that an opposition group (Concerned Citizens of Mason County) would be holding their meeting at 2PM in the Civic Center. This was a real concern because staff thought that Congressman Dicks planned to be at the Civic Center at 2PM.

Picture this - Norm Dicks walks into a room of "real people" who are concerned about the environmental impact of a multinational firm on the residents of a county currently with a health report card that's nearly the worst of all the counties in the state. Can't let that happen. Let's get Norm's schedule fixed so that he doesn't risk running into "real people".

o On April 15, at 1130 am the City of Shelton will hold a state of the port, city and county at Alderbrook. This might be an interesting one to attend.

o The county commissioners unsuccessfully advertised for a revenue generator for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Now they may have to be more aggressive in their quest to find someone.

I have an idea. Why don't they just drop one of the revenue spenders? That way they can stay in compliance with the RCW which requires the spenders and generators to be equal. And to ensure greater diversity they could have more than just one at large member. There I go applying logic again.

o Department of Ecology postponed their meeting tomorrow (April 6) with the commissioners to discuss the John's Prairie Water Basin. They need more time to study the Squaxin Island appeal submitted to the Governor.

Ross said he delivered the county's letter to DOE and they didn't like it. Then he said that we must move on a moratorium. As you know sometimes it's a little difficult to understand what Ross really means. When pressed what he meant with the pronoun "we", Ross closed down and let Lynda and Tim run with the ball.

Here's my take away. Tim wants to do nothing and let the governor or DOE tell us what to do. Lynda wants to find out what the city has in mind so far as providing water within the Urban Growth Area. She offered that with the city's water line going in this summer then there will be relief to the John's Prairie water shortage. The city water will go to ADAGE and the MCRA sports fields. That should lessen the shortfall.

Port of Shelton Commissioner Jay Hupp was at this portion of the briefings. He said the Port is having "difficult conversations" with Department of Ecology over the issue of water. (Recall the Port's water agreement expired on Jan 1, 2010.) The Port is using 42 acre feet of water per year but have approval of only 1.25 acre feet. He went on to say that he has an unanswered capacity question with the City of Shelton. The capacity of water the City can bring to Port property via the PUD 3 funded water line "hasn't been nailed down" per Jay.

Also Jay indicated that ADAGE has a 90 acre lease of Port property. And that's when the point about capacity came into the discussion. (Is there or isn't there enough water capacity for ADAGE?) The City is working on their Comprehensive Water Plan according to Jay.

o May 4 there will be a public hearing on revisions to the Noise Control ordinance. Something going on here so far as an impending race track. Watch for more on this one.

o Public Works announced today that they will be paving a portion of their yard. Just having gravel in the public works yard is a safety hazard according to the County Road Engineer, Bob Thuring. No indication as to how much this will cost.

Here is another example of why Mason County Roads has such a high percent of admin costs compared to other counties. Hmmmm..... I'm thinking Road Levy Shift for 2011.

o The Stormwater Management Advisory Task Force as proposed for approval on the Consent Agenda (April 6) will have a whopping 28 members. Five of these proposed members do not live in Mason County. This committee "will assist in crafting financial options to fund stormwater improvement activities".

I have trouble with people from Olympia and Chehalis "crafting financial options to fund" anything that a Mason County taxpayer then has to pay for through the taxation system. These non Mason County members certainly could serve as advisors to the larger group but shouldn't be the ones who "crafting financial options". Besides that when was a group of 28 ever effective in getting anything accomplished in an efficient manner?

o Belfair Waste Water Facility has "significant change orders pending" per Tom Moore. No surprise there.

That's what I caught today.

Biomess in Mason County? Part 2

Today's topic is ADAGE. But first some background. (See my Feb 4 blog for Part 1)

For those of you who I've never met you are not aware that I have a funny accent. I come by this accent honestly. I grew up in the coal fields of West Virginia. My father, grandfathers and their fathers all worked in the coal mines.

The property that my family rented sat between two coal mines with a little stream running down behind the house. My brother and I couldn't play in this stream because the water was so toxic from chemical run off. The air was filthy with coal dust.

My father and grandfathers didn't believe they had options on where they lived or what they did for a living. Subsequently, their lives were shortened because of their work. As a child I experienced what it means when jobs are scarce. I also know what it's like to watch someone die from respiratory disease. Poverty kept us immobilized and left my family with few options.

Why am I sharing this personal information with you? I'm concerned here in Mason County that we are heading down the path that will ruin our environment - all for a few minimum wage jobs. Mason County will get a few jobs and the corporate leaders of Duke Energy and AREVA, a French firm, will walk away with the profits.

Having grown up in poverty, I know all too well what a difference a steady income makes in our lives. But I also know that we must carefully weigh the trade offs facing us.

We need more information about this facility and what it means to our environment. We must demand that our county commissioners tell us what the process is for the approval of the construction of this facility. At the state level we need to speak up and say that before ADAGE is approved we want to know what the impact will be to the air we breathe. I've been told that approval by ORCAA (clean air regulatory agency) is currently slated to be routine with no public hearing planned. The reason being that no citizens have complained.

I will attend the ADAGE meetings on Wednesday, April 7 but these meetings cannot take the place of public meetings held by elected officials.

More to follow on this.

ADAGE Meetings - April 7, 2010

I've included below an email from ADAGE. I thought you might want to attend one or more of these meetings. At this time I plan to attend.

A question I have for our commissioners is: will this "comfortable atmosphere" take the place of a formal public hearing? So I called Commissioner Sheldon this morning to ask him whether there will be a public hearing on the construction of this facility. He said that he wasn't sure what the process will be. I asked him to let us know what the process is. I think we need to know.

So below is the invite I received.


Dear Ms. Hirschi,

ADAGE and John Deere would like to invite you to attend an Open House on Wednesday, April 7 in Shelton to provide interested community members with information about the proposed Mason County biomass power facility we announced last month. The meetings will be open to the public and two meeting times are planned to provide the opportunity for all interested people to attend:

Noon Open House
Date: Wednesday, April 7
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: City of Shelton Civic Center Banquet Room
525 West Cota
Shelton, WA 98584

Evening Open House
Date: Wednesday, April 7
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mason County Fire District 11 Meeting Room
130 E Island Lake Rd
Shelton, WA 98584

The meetings will follow an informal, open house format designed to provide a comfortable atmosphere for community members to meet representatives from John Deere and ADAGE, ask questions and gather information about the proposed biomass power plant.

Project Background
On February 4, ADAGE and John Deere announced a new alliance to bring technology and innovation to the feedstock supply for sustainable woody biomass projects beginning with ADAGE’s proposed 55 megawatt facility in Shelton, WA. Wood debris will be collected, bundled and transported from regional logging operations to the ADAGE biomass power facility where it will be converted to renewable energy. The project will bring together state-of-the-art biomass power technology and innovative forest harvest equipment, positioning Washington as a leader in this new biopower industry.

Building a vibrant biomass business means new jobs, healthier forests and renewable energy for Washington. The proposed 55 megawatt Mason County plant design will incorporate advanced environmental controls to minimize air emissions and water use and will provide enough power for more than 40,000 homes. The $250 million initial investment will create more than 400 direct jobs during construction and more than 100 direct jobs during permanent operation. The proposed location for the project is the John’s Prairie Industrial Park at the Port of Shelton.

We hope you can join us on April 7 and please don't hesitate to pass this invitation along to your friends and colleagues that may be interested in the project.

Please RSVP to me at tom.deponty@areva.com or 301.841.2468 and feel free to contact me with any questions you might have. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Regards,

Tom DePonty

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Tom DePonty
Director, Public Affairs
ADAGE
7475 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1100
Bethesda, MD 20814
301.841.2468 - phone
301.841.2480 - fax
tom.deponty@areva.com

Visit us on the web: www.adagebiopower.com