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Incinerator Free Mason County is working to find answers to important questions.
Our volunteers are reading the ADAGE filings, talking to doctors and scientists, and attending public meetings to find realistic answers to complex questions.
Here is what we have learned so far:
What is a "biomass boiler"?
The main processor is described as a "bubbling fluid bed boiler." But the process is combustion,
and the end result is ash. No matter what they call it, it is a huge incinerator.
Why haven´t any public hearings been scheduled?
How can federal, state and local officials make a big decision like this one without consulting the citizens? Shouldn´t we have public hearings before City, County and Port officials make commitments on our behalf?
Who is ADAGE?
You can find facts and links about ADAGE on our page Who is ADAGE?.
How many permanent employees will ADAGE actually hire?
The ADAGE ad which recently appeared in the Shelton-Mason County Journal stated:
"The new plant will generate more than 200 jobs once it is up and running
- 24 jobs operating the plant
- More than 100 feedstock supply jobs (loggers and truck drivers)
- Roughly 75 jobs in local business supporting the plant."
Sadly, there are many reasons why the jobs created are not likely to match our hopes:
- ADAGE will only hire 24 permanent employees at the plant.
- There is no guarantee that any of the jobs will go to local residents.
- The other jobs will be created by symbiosis (or something) in the community.
But the numbers seem highly inflated.
- For one thing, loggers are already at work in the forest and some will be reassigned to load logging residue on trucks rather than gather and stack it as they do now.
- And the jobs will be where the biomass is. ADAGE will be trucking in biomass from an area with a radius of 50 miles around Shelton. See the map on our 50 Mile Factsheet.
- So the feedstock supply jobs will scattered among at least six counties, with perhaps 10% in Mason County.
Our Fact Sheet on Jobs includes a chart with biomass estimates from WSU for counties in Southwestern Washington.
- The 75 jobs in local businesses are truly a wisp of hope. In a recent email Tom DePonty, ADAGE Public Affairs Director, stated,
"...the project will provide create (sic) 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."
All we can say is that those 24 ADAGE employees in the plant must be BIG eaters!
Will the plant generate noise all night? How much noise?
Yes, the plant will operate 24/7, 52 weeks a year. But ADAGE has made no written statements about noise levels or noise abatements. At the ADAGE open house in April,
an ADAGE manager answered a question about noise levels by saying in a reassuring voice that they would be sure to plant "a buffer of trees" to reduce the noise.
Sorry, we live with trees all around us, but noise still carries.
We need answers from ADAGE as to noise levels that can be expected during the day and at night.
And we need to know what agency is responsible to set and enforce reasonable noise standards to ensure that noise is not a problem for area residents.
Noise is a particular concern because the ADAGE plant is air-cooled rather than water cooled. This is good as far as it reduces the amount of water the plant will consume.
However, air-cooled machines are noisy - sometimes very noisy- so ADAGE's reticence to provide specific information on this matter is a concern.
Can the emissions cause acid rain?
Yes, in conversations with ORCAA staff members, citizens working with IFMC were told that it is likely that emissions from the ADAGE Plant can cause acid rain in the Puget Sound area.
For more information about how this happens, download our Fact Sheet on Nitrous Oxides.
Will the energy generated be used in Mason County?
Conversations with PUD officials indicate that the best answer is "probably not."
Washington State is a net exporter of electric energy. ADAGE has approached local utilities but ADAGE power is more expensive than other locally-generated electricity. So far no Washington State entity has agreed to purchase power from ADAGE.
It is likely that the power will be sold in California, where energy prices are higher.
How tall is the smokestack? Will it affect my view?
The ORCAA filing discloses that the stack will be 170 feet high, about the height of old growth fir trees. Mature pine trees tend to be about 1/2 that height. Since the Plant will not be situated in a stand of old growth timber, it is fair to assume that the stack will be visible to the surrounding area. Perhaps it will become the new symbol of Shelton, like Seattle's Space Needle.
How far will property values fall if people don´t want to live near the plant?
No one really knows, but it is fair to say that most people are not excited to live in the shadow of a big industrial incinerator.
The equity that homeowners will lose is a reality that officials should weigh carefully when considering the economic impact ADAGE will have on Mason County.
Why did they choose a site so close to ballparks, schools and homes?
We're stumped. You'll have to ask the elected officials.
How much water will the plant need? Where will the water come from? How will it be treated and where will it go?
Here is the answer to this question provided by Tom Deponty, Public Relations Manager for ADAGE,
"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.
(IFMC NOTE: It still is not clear from this answer if the water will require special treatment, what toxins might remain after treatment, and where the water will be discharged.)
- The maximum water use would be 60 to 80 gallons per minute during unusual
circumstances.
- For comparative purposes, a hose bibb (a garden faucet) is equivalent to
about 5 to 7 gpm.
- 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."
Will the plant be exempt from burn bans?
Yes.
Other important questions being researched:
- Will the plant impact my family´s health?
- Are there toxins in these "low emissions"?
- The plan calls for burning over 600,000 tons of "woody biomass" each year. How much ash does this produce? Is it toxic?
- Why is the plant saying it is exempt from certain standards and regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency?
- If I follow the money where does it lead? Who will profit?
- Will ADAGE receive government subsidies or tax breaks?
- Will they pay the same utility rates and fees as the rest of us?
- What will be the effects on the air quality, particulates, etc.
- How will wastewater be treated? Where will it end up?
- What is the plan for ash residue, composition, use, and disposal?
- Is the upply of biomass materials sustainable?
- What will be the effect on traffic flow and road infrastructure?
- What will be the financial cost to county through "sweetheart" tax deals
What issues are important to you? Let us know if you have additional questions or issues that aren't on these lists. And volunteer to help us research the answers. Working together we can better understand this complex issue.
