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.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, April 5, 2010
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, April 2, 2010
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
_
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
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
_
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
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