Articles/Commentary

TOP NEWS Story: Seneca power plant requests increase in pollution cap | The company’s biomass plant has had trouble meeting clean air standards
By Diane Dietz, Eugene Register-Guard - July 17, 2013

“It was going to be the cleanest biomass energy facility around, and they were doing everything in their power to keep their pollution down,” said Lisa Arkin, executive director of Eugene-based Beyond Toxics. “They weren’t being truthful to the community.”

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U.S. Clean Air Act now covers biomass power plants - ECOSEED: Energy, Environment, Economy

Federal Court Follows Science in Striking Down EPA’s Biomass Pollution Loophole - Center for Biological Diversity

Seneca’s biomass plant fails first pollution test
An environmental agency fines the company $9,856, but says the emissions pose no threat to human health – by Diane Dietz, The Eugene Register-Guard | 9-27-2011

Battle Over Biomass: Does Seneca’s plant violate pollution regs? (Eugene Weekly) – Story & Photos By Camilla Mortensen

We can’t afford to ignore the science on bioenergy - Oregonian – December 08, 2010 | Guest column by Franz A. Matzner, Lisa Arkin [OTA Exec. Director] and Jeanne Roy

Biomass is not Oregon’s clean-energy future as currently promoted - Oregonian – October 20, 2010

Guest column by Lisa Arkin, OTA Executive Director
Burning biomass to generate energy is a dirty business - Register-Guard GUEST VIEWPOINT by Lisa Arkin, OTA Executive Director

Burning wood as renewable power draws scrutiny in Oregon and nationwide by Scott Learn, The Oregonian (PDF file)

Burn Up the Biosphere and Call It Renewable Energy: The New Taxpayer Bailout That Will Make You Sick AND Poor by Rachel Smolker - Just when you thought the biofuels bad dream was about over along comes the nightmare of “biomass.” – Published February 10, 2010 by CommonDreams.org

BIOMASS Linked to Greenhouse Pollution (Eugene Weekly) – Dec. 10, 2009

Background on Biomass & Seneca biomass energy generation plant:

From Beyond Toxics

• Original testimony from Beyond Toxics (Oregon Toxics Alliance) on the Seneca permit - 2006
• Beyond Toxics fact sheet: “Seneca’s Proposed Power Plant – Is it Green?” (PDF file)
• Special report: “Chemical Relationships between Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollutants in Biomass Energy Production” – Written by Hannah Satein for Oregon Toxics Alliance (PDF file)
• Learn more about biomass’ “double-whammy” impacts to BOTH health and global warming! Research Bibliography (PDF file)

Other sources

• Human Health Effects of Biomass Incinerators - Congressional Briefing September 25, 2012
• Human Rights and Biomass (report from EHRA: Environment and Human Rights Advisory) - Aug. 2009
• Biomass Briefing, October 2009 (PDF document from Massachusetts Environmental Energy Alliance)
• Background resources page prepared by Massachusetts Environmental Energy Alliance

History of our involvement with the siting of Seneca’s Bioenergy facility in West Eugene

On November 10, 2009, Oregon Toxics Alliance filed a Contested Case Hearing appeal under Oregon Revised Statutes Section 183. Specific issues that had been consistently contested by the public led to the filing of the appeal; namely, that the facility:

• will not be using the best available pollution control technology;
• is not required to produce timely, consistent and adequate reporting of its emissions;
• is not properly regulated under the Clean Air Act and the 1994 Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice;
• that residents in the neighborhoods located in West Eugene and Northwest Eugene will suffer irreparable injury from the issuance of the permit and the operation of the power plant.